JAFTA BACKS SOUTH AFRICA TO COME OUT SWINGING AGAINST BANGLADESH
Media release
South Africa’s Sinalo Jafta said that her side are most dangerous on the back of a defeat.
The Proteas sit second in Group B of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, trailing West Indies on net run rate, with unbeaten England lying third having played a game fewer than both sides.
Jafta believes her side has what it takes to brush off a seven-wicket loss to England last time out and return to winning ways in their final group contest.
“I think for us as a team we have this thing of when our backs are up against the wall, we always come back guns blazing,” said Jafta.
“And I think if you look at that (England) game, I think the dressing room, we all knew that we might have missed an edge here. But at the end of the day, tomorrow is another day and I think that's how we approach every single game.
“One, respecting the opposition. Two, playing our brand of cricket. Everyone is just so calm. It's really good to see.
“The coaches, they've brought in this energy and this aura about them and you can see it relaying in the different disciplines. Whether it's spinners, batters, and fielding, and you know, they've allowed us to make mistakes.
“But they've also allowed us to own those mistakes and take it forward to the next game.”
South Africa claimed comprehensive wins over West Indies and Scotland in their first two outings, both staged in Dubai.
The Proteas found the going tougher when they moved to Sharjah to face England but Jafta insists they must adapt to suit all conditions.
“I think we prefer Dubai but with Sharjah, it's really a test of the players' patience and also basics,” she said. “It is slightly slower, 100 per cent, but as a team, we just had to assess conditions way quicker than we did.
“It's just being honest and saying, you know what, it wasn't the best game, but we had to come up with the lessons that we got from it. Depending on where we land and if we get to a semi-final, we just have to really hone in on that and just be patient and have a positive approach.”
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s chief concern will be an injury to captain Nigar Sultana Joty.
The talismanic batter is expected to make a swift recovery and her absence would be sorely missed given the often brittle nature of her side’s batting line-up.
After defending 119 to beat Scotland and claim their first ICC Women’s T20 World Cup win in a decade, Bangladesh fell 21 runs short despite restricting highly-fancied England to a total of 118.
Joty’s side were well beaten last time out against West Indies with head coach Hashan Tillakaratne acutely conscious of their struggles with willow in hand.
“Batting is a bit of a concern,” admitted the Sri Lankan coach. “We have worked on our dot ball percentages and we are yet to achieve those targets.
“(Losing wickets in clusters) is a major concern in our batting. We need to improve in these areas and they are learning, but this is the major part we need to improve on.”
Bangladesh took the scalp of South Africa for the first time in a T20I at Benoni in December 2023 and a similar result in Dubai on Saturday would certainly end their campaign on a high.
“We need to play for our pride against South Africa,” said Tillakaratne. “We have beaten them once, so it’s all of us to get together and put up a better show.”