The Proteas will be back in the Women’s Cricket World Cup action on Friday against Sri Lanka, and star spin bowler Nonkululeko Mlaba says they will be looking to continue their winning streak.
South Africa may have started their World Cup campaign on the wrong foot, but they have since turned the tide and won three games on the trot. They were dismantled in their opening match against England but bounced back against New Zealand, India, and Bangladesh.
The Proteas are currently at number three in the standings, and a win over co-hosts Sri Lanka will push them further up and put them in a good position to qualify for the semi-finals.
Mlaba, who has been one of the instrumental players thus far in the tournament, said they will try and exploit Sri Lanka, as they know some of their weaknesses following their tri-series in May this year.
The two teams drew the three-match ODI series 1-1, with one game not played due to rain.
“As a team, we kind of know their players, especially for me as a bowler, I know with certain players where to bowl, and we know where our strengths and weaknesses are,” Mlaba said ahead of the game.
“We played against Sri Lanka in the tri-series, and we also played against them at home, and they beat us in a few games,” Mlaba said.
“So, they definitely have a good team… and as a team, we don’t undermine any team. We just play our own game and try our best to win.”
Digging deep to grind results
Despite managing to bounce back in their last three games, the Proteas had to dig deep and grind out the results through some individual brilliance.
“That’s obviously part of the game. As a team, we start well, and sometimes we just lack here and there, so it’s a matter of trying to bring the team together and just trying to focus and do well in certain periods.
“I’ve watched a lot of games, and a lot of teams have gone through the same as us, so it’s just a part of cricket,” Mlaba added.
The first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 11:30 (SA time) at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
