After a disappointing double-header in Taunton, Proteas Women captain Dane van Niekerk reflects on what went wrong for her team.

The Proteas skipper admits that her team’s fielding was not up to scratch but also highlights the fact that the opposition built their innings strategically.

‘We need to start executing our plans and we didn’t do that today and they made us pay. We had opportunities and we didn’t take them. Our fielding is letting us down and our bowling – if we took our chances today, we could have taken 50 runs off their total,’ said Van Niekerk.

The skipper was the only bright light from yesterday’s match, performing solidly with the ball as well as top-scoring for her side in both matches with 58 against New Zealand and 72 against England.

The Proteas have three days to lick their wounds before taking England on again this coming Saturday, followed by a final match against New Zealand next Thursday, ahead of a possible final on 1 July – although the odds are stacked high against them at this stage.

Photo: Julian Herbert/Getty Images