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Gqeberha’s Double Header Looms

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The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup machine rolled into Gqeberha and today (Saturday 18 February) offers a juicy double header as England take on India in the first match starting at 15h00 followed by the BIG ONE between South Africa and Australia (the current World Champs) at 19h00.

Attendance at these two crunch games is expected to be up on the last couple of matches. At St Georges Park there are many additional activities on offer for old and young alike.

South Africa v Australia

South African Captain Suné Luus has backed South Africa to ‘take the fight’ to Australia as they prepare for a crunch Group 1 encounter in Gqeberha.

Luus’ side recovered from their opening-day defeat against Sri Lanka in style by dismissing New Zealand for 67 to secure a 65-run win which reignited their semi-final hopes.

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They face a daunting task against an Australian side who have started the defence of their crown with three consecutive wins but Luus is confident an attacking mindset can pay dividends.

“We have a world-class batting attack and a world-class bowling attack, and we’re playing against a world-class team, so it is going to be a great clash tomorrow,” she said.

“I don’t think there’s going to be any reason for us to stand back. The only way to beat a team like Australia is if you take the fight to them and that’s definitely what we’re going to try and do.

“I think we can definitely pull it off. Our top three maybe hasn’t fired the way they wanted to but we all know the ability they have. It’s just a matter of one innings for either of them to get into momentum.

“This is definitely another opportunity for them to fire and to play that aggressive cricket that we also want to play, and that we know Australia is going to play.”

South Africa’s most recent T20I meeting with Australia came at the last ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in a nail-biting rain-affected semi-final which the eventual champions won by five runs.

That extended South Africa’s winless run in this fixture but Luus believes her side are capable of upsetting the history book.

“I don’t think that’s a hurdle,” she said. “It’s very exciting and it gives us the opportunity to play cricket with freedom and to know that, whatever happens, we want to leave everything on the field.

“We have absolutely nothing to lose.”

Australia head coach Shelley Nitschke, meanwhile, insists her side will not be resting on their laurels as they look to maintain their 100 per cent start.

Nitschke is expecting a tough test from the hosts and is only looking ahead rather than reflecting on previous glories.

“We haven’t gone into specifics discussing that game (2020 semi-final) and they have a different look to their side now,” said Australia’s head coach.

“There are a few new faces and a different style of play that we have to be wary of, and we have some players who weren’t there during that T20 World Cup as well.

“They have nothing to lose, so we expect them to throw everything at us and we need to make sure we’re ready.

“They’ve got some really damaging players, both with bat and ball, that can take a game away from us and they have the support of the home crowd, so we need to make sure we are on our game.

“We’ll just be taking every game as it comes and making sure that the opposition that’s in front of us, we’re well and truly prepared for them. But we haven’t referred to that [semi-final] too much at this point.”

England v India

Lauren Bell believes England’s aggressive style in the powerplay will be crucial in their Group 2 match against India on Saturday.

Both sides have won each of their two opening matches and the Gqeberha clash looks set to be vital in deciding who tops the group.

India won an ODI series in England last summer but seamer Bell is looking forward to the challenge that awaits as they look to turn the tables.

“From what I learned from the last series, we had a really good contest with Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana at the top of the order,” Bell said.

“I think I’ve grown a lot as a bowler from then and they’ve got some class players in their batting line-up.

“The powerplay will be really key for us so we’ll try and start fast with the ball.”

Bell is playing in her first-ever World Cup and has eased into the tournament alongside the experienced Katherine Sciver-Brunt and England’s in-form spinners, who combined to take eight Ireland wickets in Monday’s clash.

Heather Knight’s side overcame Ireland’s total of 105 in less than 15 overs despite losing five wickets for 33 runs towards the end of the chase.

But Bell believes this is no cause for concern as it demonstrates the style England want to adopt for the rest of the tournament.

“We addressed it but I don’t think we saw it as a stutter because the way we want to play our cricket is really attacking and really aggressive,” she said.

“As a team, we’d want to be a bit more clinical with how we finished it but I think the way everyone went out and tried to do the chase is exactly how we want to play our cricket.

“Personally, there have been a few nerves playing in my first World Cup – playing for England is always nerve-wracking – but I had Katherine and Sophie [Ecclestone] next to me to settle me down.”

India also go into the match with two wins from two, most recently overcoming West Indies by six wickets with Richa Ghosh compiling an unbeaten 44.

Shefali Verma scored a 23-ball 28 at the top of the order in that victory and is relishing the contest against their fellow in-form side.

“We’re feeling really confident and, of course, we know how crucial the game is,” she said.

“At the same time, we’re just thinking about what we have planned. We just need to execute out there in the field, enjoy the game and keep backing each other.

“We’ve watched England and how they’re playing right now.

“They are also confident, so we have planned out how to go over there and do the right thing.”

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.