Proteas struggles continue with series loss to England

OBAKENG MELETSE

The Proteas' struggles in bilateral series continued this past week, as they suffered yet another T20I series whitewash against England but they can ill afford to wallow in defeat as they prepare for an ODI series against the same opponents later this week.

The T20I series didn’t live up to expectations, at least from a South African point of view, especially with their recent achievements against Pakistan in September and also after reaching their second T20 World Cup final in a row earlier this year.

Their 2-1 win against Pakistan was their first in seven attempts. Although they went on to do well in the global showpiece afterwards, the latest result against the English – particularly the last two matches where they were outplayed with both bat and ball – is likely to be of concern for incoming coach Mandla Mashimbyi.

The former Titans coach was named as a permanent replacement for Hilton Moreeng, following the latter’s resignation earlier this year in May. Mashimbyi will take charge of the team this week when the three-match ODI series starts on Wednesday in Kimberley.

England are a powerhouse in women’s cricket, and arguably always the second-best team behind Australia. Their shortcoming in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, where they were dumped out of the tournament after the group stages, was always going to spark an effort to help restore their dented reputation, and they duly delivered with convincing victories against SA.

To their credit, the Proteas demonstrated flexibility in rotation and seemed like a side looking more into building for the future. A few fresh faces got extended runs to assess their roles within the squad, while regulars like Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka were given time off.

Dolphins all-rounder Nondumiso Shangase was one of the players recalled to the side. She played in all three matches, and her knock of 31 off 35 balls helped South Africa reach a below-par but defendable total of 124 in the final T20I, which England chased comfortably with 49 balls to spare.

“I got my highest score in this format, which was good,” Shangase said after the match.

“The three opportunities I got were amazing, even though I didn't contribute much in the second match towards the team goals. It hurt, but I also knew the third match was still to come, so I had to keep my head up.”

“It’s disappointing that we didn't win a single match, but we are still positive; there are still a few matches to come in the ODI series and the one-off Test as well, so we will continue to be positive for the rest of the tour.”

Meanwhile, England’s Lauren Filer believes the visitors applied themselves well overall and were in control for most of the series, which bodes well for the remainder of the tour.

“We played really good cricket; the first game was probably a little bit closer than we would have wanted it to be, but we really kicked on from there. We started well with the bat and did the same with the ball. We always had that wicket-taking mindset, and hopefully we can carry that on into the ODIs and the Test match.”

“We will have a few different personnel coming in and out of the team. So, it will be about carrying on the confidence we got from the last few games into the ODIs and hopefully also carry on with the wins.”