South Africa's Tazmin Brits leaves the field after being dismissed during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup cricket final match between South Africa and New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai Proteas interim coach Dillon du Preez lamented his side’s loss in the Women’s T20 World Cup final. Seen here: Proteas opener Tazmin Brits after being dismissed in the fina. Picture: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP
Proteas interim coach Dillon du Preez said his side’s loss to New Zealand in the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup will sting for some time.
Du Preez was speaking at his side’s return to South Africa, as Cricket SA welcomed back their star performers.
The Proteas lost the final to New Zealand by 32 runs in Dubai on Sunday, in what was probably their worst performance of the tournament.
In fairness, the Proteas were second best in every department during the final — they leaked too many runs at the death, the fielding wasn’t up to their usual standards and after a solid opening partnership of 51 between skipper Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits their chase systematically fell away.
“Looking back at the final you could see the emotions were high still. We were disappointed in the result. We did speak about a lot of positives that came out of the World Cup and the Pakistan series,” said Du Preez.
“If you look at the performances of some of the individuals we've got the leading run scorers and the wicket-takers.
“All in all, it’s not a good feeling. But I think we will be okay, we’re heading in the right direction. Maybe next year.”
Brits (17 from 18) and Wolvaardt (33 from 27) got South Africa off to a decent start in their chase of the imposing 159 to win, but regular wickets after the partnership was broken meant the Proteas came up well short.
Their performance in the trophy match was in stark contrast to their semi-final victory over Australia. It was the first time the Proteas had beaten the Aussies at a T20 World Cup, and they did it in emphatic fashion — by eight wickets.
Brits said the win over the Australians would always stand out for them.
“We always used to say that Australia was the big hurdle, as Wolvie [Wolvaardt] mentioned many times. But it's almost as if New Zealand were the bigger hurdle at the end of the day. I think this team did very well to beat Australia,” said Brits.
“I always believed that this team could beat them, I never thought that they were unbeatable. It was nice that we could do that and ensure that they didn't go to the final this time.”
Meanwhile, Nonkululeko Mlaba became the first Proteas bowler to take 12 wickets at a Women’s World Cup. Mlaba was justifiably proud of her achievements, but paid credit to the strong team around her.
“For me it was a great tournament. I can feel that I'm getting better each and every tournament. Taking 12 wickets at the World Cup, I always say it's not only for me but also for my teammates.
“If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be taking those 12 wickets. We were all in it together. I’m always going to give them credit.
“It was a great tournament for me and I'm looking forward to the next one.”