Proteas Women’s captain Laura Wolvaardt had no hesitation in opting to bat after winning the toss ahead of their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final against New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium.
The South Africans and the New Zealanders are both unchanged for the final after coming out on top against Australia and the West Indies respectively.
Wolvaardt and the South Africans are unbeaten in Dubai, winning three of those World Cup matches batting second. In the other match against Scotland they batted first and bundled out the opposition later on.
“I think it’s worked really well for us throughout the tournament. We would like to stick to that formula,” Wolvaardt said at the toss.
The is the Proteas Women’s second final after losing to Australia in the showpiece match on home soil at Newlands in Cape Town in February 2023.
Wolvaardt says the experience of that final will help them embrace the pressure that goes hand-in-hand with the big occasion.
“It’s massive for this team to be in this position before. It’s a new venue, new opponent and a new day. We know we will have to work really hard and see if we can get a win this time.
TOSS 🪙
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) October 20, 2024
The Proteas Women have won the toss and elected to bowl in the ICC Women’s #T20WorldCup 2024 Final against New Zealand.
SA Playing XI ⬇️🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #WhateverItTakes pic.twitter.com/mnuLpwOMRU
The Proteas’ top-order has been on fire at this tournament, but there is a concern that the middle-order may be underdone if they are called upon to contribute.
However, Wolvaardt is confident that they have the experience in players such as Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus and Chloe Tryon who van do the business.
“I see it as a real positive. We still have some real batting resources to come that we haven’t even used at this tournament yet. If the top-order doesn’t get it done, I’m sure the middle-order will.”
Teams for Dubai:
Proteas Women
Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon, Annerie Dercksen, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka
New Zealand
Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (capt), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wk), Lea Tahuhu, Rosemary Mair, Eden Carson, Fran Jonas
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