New Delhi, September 25
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt has said that ahead of their side's ICC Women's World Cup campaign, the belief is "very strong" with the team after having "learnt a lot of lessons" over the past few ICC tournaments and having prepared well ahead of the marquee competition.
South Africa will start their campaign against England on October 3 at Guwahati. The team is heading into the tournament following a 2-1 series win over Pakistan away from home. Since the last World Cup back in 2022, the South African women's team has featured in 37 ODIs, winning 17, losing 19 and one match ending in a no result. This year in 10 ODIs, SA has won five and lost five each.
In recent years, the Proteas showed more consistency at ICC tournaments, reaching the semi-finals in the last two ODI World Cups and finishing as runners-up in back-to-back ICC Women's T20 World Cups.
"We have had good preparation for this tournament and learned a lot of lessons from past ICC events. In the last few ODI World Cups, we made the semi-finals," said the South Africa skipper as quoted by ICC.
"I remember being part of that first semi-final loss in 2017 - it really hurt the group, but it helped us see that we could compete with the best sides in the world and qualifying for a one-day final is more a question of "when" and not "if" it would ever happen."
"The belief is very strong within our side going into this tournament," she continued.
South Africa boasts a solid core team filled with experience across the board, but with a long tournament ahead and the immense pressure of a World Cup at stake, it is crucial for them to stay grounded and not get ahead of themselves.
"I strongly believe that we have a very good squad of 15 players on the plane, so I am very excited for this tournament," said the 26-year-old.
"We bat very deep, with a lot of all-rounders giving us different bowling options, which is exciting for me as captain."
"The most important thing for us is to trust the process and take it one game at a time. You never want to get ahead of yourself - it is a long tournament with lots of cricket, so staying present and focusing on ourselves is key," she concluded.
South Africa squad for Women's World Cup 2025: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Ayabonga Khaka, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Marizanne Kapp, Tazmin Brits, Sinalo Jafta, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Annerie Dercksen, Anneke Bosch, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus, Karabo Meso, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase. Reserve: Miane Smit.
- ANI
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