After their loss to the English, captain Laura Wolvaardt declared their batting lineup was ‘much, much better than 69 all out,’ chalking it up to simply being ‘just one of those days’. And that statement has aged well, with her side hitting 234/4 off 40.5 overs against the White Ferns before completing another run chase against India, compiling 252/7 off 48.5 overs.
Nadine de Klerk was the hero this time, scoring 84* off 54 to earn Aramco Player of the Match honours and bring the Proteas home with a wet sail. She was well supported by Chloe Tryon (49 off 66) who batted for much of the second half of South Africa’s chase.
“It got a bit more tricky when (Chloe) got out, but I guess it’s just about the belief and the character at the end of the day, and we just wanted to stick it out and fight really hard because we knew how important this game was for our team,” de Klerk told media post-game.
“Really glad we got over the line. I think the most important part is, and we’ve seen it in this World Cup, is you just have to stick it out. Doesn’t matter if you’re batting No.8 or No.9, (you just have to) give yourself a chance. I mean, Richa (Ghosh) did it today for India as well. Just try and bat time.”
