Johannesburg - Proteas women’s captain Sune Luus believes that winning a World Cup could help change the perception around women’s cricket in the country and will also help to garner more home support.
Luus and her teammates begin their journey at the ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand today as they take on Bangladesh at the University Oval in Dunedin.
“I think winning a World Cup will open a lot of the doors and change a lot of the views back home in South Africa,” Luus told the Saturday Star.
“I think there's still a stigma around it, and hopefully, if we win a World Cup, then that can change completely, and we’ll get more support from back home.
“It will help boost support in the provincial system and the emerging system and all over, so it will be huge for us, so hopefully, we can do it.”
No Proteas team has ever reached a World Cup final before. However, Luus is hopeful that this time things will be different.
Proteas Women have never gone past the last four of the ODI tournament since playing their first World Cup competition in 1997 and lost to England Women in the semi-final by just two wickets at the last edition held in the UK in 2017.
Luus says they are up for the challenge and believes they have a team to make the ICC Women's World Cup final at last.
“I think we have our strongest squad, here and everybody is in good spirits, and the confidence is flying high, so hopefully, we can just take it all the way. It’s a tournament where everyone brings their best squads, and everyone wants to win the World Cup, so obviously, it's going to be very competitive, but I think we can only control what we can control and focus on what we have been doing and how we have been successfully doing that.”
Luus says the team is also looking forward to once again playing in New Zealand, having enjoyed a successful series here previously.
“We’ve played one series here, and we have been very successful, so here's hoping that our form just continues. The conditions here are quite good for batting and fast bowling, not so much for spin. It kind of just skids on, but the team is ready and very excited.”
Despite losing regular skipper Dane van Niekerk to a left ankle fracture weeks before the tournament, Luus reckons they have a strong enough team to challenge for the world title.
South Africa came off a 2-1 one-day series win against West Indies at home as they completed their fifth consecutive ODI series win.
They also boast batter Lizelle Lee in their ranks, who ended 2021 as the highest run-scorer in women's ODI cricket, scoring 632 runs in 12 matches at an average of 90.28, getting named ICC Women's ODI Cricketer-of-the-Year.
South Africa also boasts three bowlers in the top 10 of the ODI rankings: Shabnim Ismail (5th), all-rounder Marizanne Kapp (8th), and fast bowler Ayabonga Khaka (7th).
“It’s all about confidence and backing your skill and sticking to what's working for you and what's been making the team successful. I don’t think we need to change a lot. Maybe just tweak things here and there or assess things earlier, but I think the team is in good spirits, and as long as we play to our strengths and back our skills, then it should be good.”
Asked which teams pose the biggest threat to the Proteas World Cup ambitions, Luus says it’s impossible to single out any teams.
“I don’t think there's one team we can single out. It's still a World Cup, and all the teams come here with their best squads, so every game will be very competitive, so we just need to take it one team at a time.”
As captain, Luus says she dreams of leading her troops to World Cup glory.
“All the teams come here to win the World Cup, and so that’s our goal too. Personally, as captain, I want to help the team win the World Cup and make good decisions, and cricket wise, just help the team, wherever I can and contribute wherever I can.”
Luus has also heaped praise on Proteas coach Hilton Moreeng.
“Hilton is very good. He’s been here for quite a while, so we know what he's all about. We know his coaching style and what his goals are for us and the team, so we have a good understanding, and he's been part of the journey for a very long time, so hopefully, we can just continue the journey and throw in a World Cup with that.”
The tournament, which runs from 4 March to 3 April, features eight of the world's best sides who will vie for the most coveted piece of silverware in the game.