Proteas Women Aim To Fine-tune World Cup Strategies In T20i Series Against India

CHENNAI: The Proteas Women are gearing up for an exciting T20 International (T20I) series against India from 05 – 09 July at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This three-match battle serves as crucial preparation for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 in Bangladesh in October.

The series kicks off with the first match on Friday, 05 July at 19h00 local time (15h30 SAST), broadcast live on SuperSport Grandstand (Ch. 201).

These short-format encounters against India will be the last competitive outing for the Proteas Women before the T20 World Cup. Captain Laura Wolvaardt emphasised the importance of using this opportunity to solidify their plans and blueprint.

“It’s sort of our last dress rehearsal before the big occasion. We’ll be looking to play as strong as an 11 as we can and to have plans we can take to the World Cup, whether that be bowling options or the batting lineup and just try and nail down different combinations.

“We’ve had a few T20 series in the last couple of tours where we’ve sort of tried one or two things and given some youngsters opportunities. But for this one, I think we’ll be looking to play our best side and the side most likely to be playing in the World Cup,” the skipper noted.

The Proteas Women enter the T20I series with a mixed record from the 2023/24 season, having won just four out of 17 matches, with four matches ending with no result. Against India, South Africa has a win rate of 31% in 16 encounters, with the subcontinental side securing nine victories, alongside two abandoned matches.

The last time the two nations faced off in T20I cricket, the Proteas emerged victorious by five wickets. All-rounder Chloé Tryon delivered a Player of the Match performance, scoring an unbeaten 57 off 32 balls to chase down India’s 109/4, securing a Tri-Series final win at Buffalo Park Stadium in East London in February 2023.

Reflecting on recent series defeats against Australia and Sri Lanka, Wolvaardt acknowledged the need for the team to find those extra runs and improve their consistency.

“It’s just about, for the batting unit, finding that extra 10 or 20 runs. Throughout that Australia series, we were pushing 150s and 160s, but with the game nowadays and coming on a flat wicket, teams are scoring 180, 200, especially in these conditions. In the Women’s Premier League, there were also a lot of high scores.

“With the ball, it’s just being a bit more clinical and a bit more consistent throughout. It’s the direction the game is moving in. We need to keep being brave and playing positive cricket,” Wolvaardt commented.

The Chepauk Stadium is known for its spin-friendly wickets, and Wolvaardt shared insights on how the team’s spinners are preparing for this challenge: “The wicket looks a bit different for the T20Is. In the Test, we had that red clay and this one looks a bit whiter and lighter. Having never played a white ball game here before, we’ll have to see how much it turns.

“T20I cricket’s a little bit different. It’s more about sort of trying to keep the very explosive Indian batters more quiet. So it’s been talking about their batters and where our spinners could bowl to maybe keep them a bit quiet,” the captain added.

Audio and video from the pre-match press conference featuring Proteas Women captain Laura Wolvaardt may be downloaded here. Training visuals are also available here.

Proteas Women T20I  Squad – Outbound Tour to India (05 – 09 July) 

Laura Wolvaardt (Captain) (Fidelity Titans), Anneke Bosch (Fidelity Titans), Tazmin Brits (DP World LIons), Nadine de Klerk (World Sports Betting Western Province), Annerie Dercksen (Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers), Mieke de Ridder (Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers), Sinalo Jafta (DP World Lions), Marizanne Kapp (World Sports Betting Western Province), Ayabonga Khaka (DP World Lions), Masabata Klaas (Fidelity Titans), Suneì Luus (Fidelity Titans), Eliz-Mari Marx (Fidelity Titans), Nonkululeko Mlaba (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Tumi Sekhukhune (DP World Lions), Chloé Tryon (DP World Lions)

Fixtures – Proteas Women’s Outbound Tour to India (16 June – 09 July)

Tuesday, 09 July @ 15h30 – 3rd T20I: India vs South Africa (M A Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai)