MANCHESTER – Following two consecutive defeats in their opening matches of the T20 Tri-Series, the SA women’s cricket team bounced back with a six-wicket victory against England on Saturday.
Thanks to crucial half-centuries from opener Lizelle Lee who scored an explosive 68 off 32 deliveries, and all-rounder Suné Luus (63) who notched up her second T20I fifty, South Africa completed their second-ever triumph over England in T20 internationals.
Assistant coach Salieg Nackerdien was pleased with the side’s overall performance during their third match after a disappointing start.
“We spoke about our plans as a bowling unit, in terms of our adaptability to the wicket,” he stated. “We knew we were playing on the same wicket and wanted to apply ourselves properly and take accountability for our skill sets.
“The same goes for our batting, we spoke about showing more intent at practice and making sure they (the players) back themselves when they go to hit over the top or play the rotation game.
“We are very pleased with the way they went about it.” Nackerdien beamed.
#CSAnews @SuneLuus and @zella15j keep SA Tri-Series hopes alive https://t.co/qfI7vSz8id #ProteasWomen #AlwaysRising #ENGvSA #T20TriSeries pic.twitter.com/KSJvg4kFHx
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) June 23, 2018
South Africa will need another big victory when they take on New Zealand on Thursday, if they are to make the Tri-Series final on Sunday.
Nackerdien believes the five-day break ahead of that encounter will provide the players enough time to think about their game, as they look to end the tour to England on a positive note ahead of the ICC Women’s World T20.
“When we start (preparations) on Tuesday, it’s going to be crucial to get into that positive space where we were in and do our business” he said.
“It’s more important we end the series with confidence and build towards what we want to achieve at the end of the year. So hopefully, if everything falls into place and players do their job properly, we’ll get the positive results and rewards.”