Balance vital before Proteas Women’s World Cup opener: Luus

After completing a more than nine-hour journey from Colombo to Guwahati, the Proteas Women’s most important task is to remain mentally and physically fresh before Friday’s World Cup opener against England.

It’s been a busy time for Laura Wolvaardt’s team that included a three-match series in Pakistan followed by two “warm-up” matches in Sri Lanka. The players arrived in Guwahati on Monday evening and are set to have two training sessions this week before the England clash.

All-rounder Sune Luus said it is important the players get the balance right in resting and preparing in the last few days. “It’s like the night before an exam. It’s about getting the mind ready and getting into your zone.

“You want to get the mental space as good as you can. Fresh minds and fresh bodies are the most important things now. We’ve hit so many balls, bowled so many balls and if you don’t know it by now, you never will.”

The Proteas have a tough opening week in the tournament. After England they face New Zealand, who beat them in the T20 World Cup final last year, and then host nation India.

Though they won’t be out of contention for a semifinal spot if they lose all three of those matches, they don’t want to be in a position where their place in the final four is determined by the outcome of the last round-robin match, against tournament favourites Australia on October 25.

South Africa has done a lot of mixing and matching as head coach Mandla Mashimbyi finds the right combinations for varying conditions, while also trying to get the correct balance with the starting XI.

The Pakistan series showed a handful of clues, the most notable being Marizanne Kapp’s batting position at No 4, while Luus occupied the No 3 spot, a position she also batted in against the Pakistanis in Sunday’s final warm-up match in Colombo.

She made a valuable 54 before retiring to give others a chance and shared a partnership with Anneke Bosch, who batted at No 5 and also retired, having scored 58.

A middle order of Bosch, Annerie Dercksen and Chloe Tryon is a powerful one capable of hitting boundaries, which given conditions in the subcontinent will prove important. South Africa view that attacking intent as crucial to their campaign.

“For the first half of the tournament at least, the wickets will be conducive to the brand we want to play,” said Luus.

With India and defending champions Australia firm favourites to secure two of the four semifinal places, South Africa have been bracketed with New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka — who play five of their seven round-robin matches on home soil in Colombo — as the main contenders for the other two.