Heat on hosts to progress from difficult World Cup group - South Africa preview
Sune Luus (c), Annerie Dercksen, Marizanne Kapp, Lara Goodall, Ayabonga Khaka, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Shabnim Ismail, Tazmin Brits, Masabata Klaas, Laura Wolvaardt, Sinalo Jafta, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Anneke Bosch, Delmi Tucker
10 February v Sri Lanka at Newlands, Cape Town
13 February v New Zealand at Boland Park, Paarl
18 February v Australia at St George's Park, Gqeberha
21 February v Bangladesh at Newlands, Cape Town
South Africa will want to make a fast start in front of home fans in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup opener against Sri Lanka - the No.8 team in the MRF Tyres ICC Women's T20I Rankings.
But their follow up clash with New Zealand looms as crucial to both of their chances of finishing in the top two of Group 1 and qualifying for the semi-finals, especially with reigning champions Australia also in the same group.
South Africa fell 13 runs short of their 168-run target when the teams last met in a T20I during the Commonwealth Games, but were without their star all-rounder Marizanne Kapp at the time.
This contest will be well worth watching if only for the battle between young guns Laura Wolvaardt and New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr, which could go a long way to deciding which team progresses to the knockout stages.
South Africa have appeared in all seven editions of the Women’s T20 World Cups so far but are yet to reach a decider, coming closest in 2020 with a semi-final loss to Australia in Sydney.
The home team reached 134/5 as skipper Meg Lanning top-scored with 49* from as many balls before the sky opened up.
South Africa were set a revised target of 98 from 13 overs and looked on track to cause an upset with Sune Luus and a composed Wolvaardt (41*) still at the crease.
But with seven wickets in hand and 27 needed off the final two overs, Luus fell for 21 and Chloe Tryon followed soon after as South Africa finished a heart-breaking five runs short.
South Africa’s other semi-final appearance was in Bangladesh in 2014, when they were sent in by England and crashed to 33/5 in the 10th over.
They battled to 101 to give themselves a chance but England cruised to the target with nine wickets and 3.1 overs in hand.
The South Africa star is one the most stylish batters in the game but backs that up with the runs that has her sitting 12th in the MRF Tyres ICC Women's T20I Batting Rankings.
Wolvaardt proved that she can do damage on the big stage with 433 runs in the Women’s Cricket World Cup last year - the fourth most in the tournament - after blasting 94 without dismissal when 20 years old at the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020.
The right-hander has batted at three or four in most of her 47 T20Is, but looks set to take on a fresh role after opening for South Africa in their recent tri-series on home turf against India and the West Indies.
Wherever Wolvaardt bats, the regular match-winner looks primed to make her mark on another tournament and will be integral to South Africa’s chances of reaching a first ever T20 World Cup final.
The tournament hosts will be desperate to reach at least a semi-final in front of home crowds but are in a difficult group with a dominant Australia likely to leave four teams fighting for the other playoff spot.
Whether South Africa can progress may depend on the experienced pace attack of Kapp, Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka, with all-rounder Nadine de Klerk and left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba adding a fresher threat.
But the batting looks thinner with Wolvaardt, Luus and Tryon the only proven performers now that Lizelle Lee is out of the international scene and talismanic all-rounder Dane van Niekerk was a surprise omission from the squad.
The absence of van Niekerk might have raised eyebrows heading into the T20 World Cup, but will be all but forgotten if South Africa finally reach that elusive final.