Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 1 : Ahead of her side's maiden ICC Women's World Cup final against India, South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt said that the idea of having a brand new champion is "very good for the health of the sport" and spelt out the mantra of "slowing it down, taking a big breath" for her team as they aim to seek their maiden title after failures in two semifinals.
After failures in 2017 and 2022 50-over World Cup semifinals and runners-up finishes in the last two T20 World Cups, Proteas will be aiming to overcome this string of recent heartbreaks and capture the women's cricket's most coveted prize in the same year as their men's team captured the ICC World Test Championship title, their maiden world title in any men's cricket format. On the other side would be a highly motivated Indian unit, who pulled off a chase for the ages, knocking down 339 runs against the mighty Aussies in the semifinals.
Speaking ahead of the match in the pre-match presser, Wolvaardt was asked if a World Cup final not involving England or Australia for the first time ever marks a shift in the power centre of women's cricket and how good it is for the game.
To this, Wolvaardt replied, "Definitely very good for the health of the sport. I think it is very exciting that we have a potential new champion of the World Cup. Yeah, I think it just shows how much the women's game is developing and how different countries are being able to use new resources and develop really good quality cricketers. I think, like you have seen with the Indian team in WPL (Women's Premier League), how many new cricketers have sort of surfaced and what good cricket they've been playing lately. I think we have also made significant progress as a team, and we are extremely proud of the strides we have made over the last couple of years. So, yeah, I am very excited and, and for the opportunity to be able to play in a final."
The skipper is not thinking about the result too eagerly despite a recent string of losses in knockout matches, which kept the 50-over and T20 titles away from them, saying that she is "trying to stay in present".
"We still have a really big game ahead of us against a really quality side. I'm trying not to think too far ahead. Just really need to focus on what I need to do tonight at practice and then what I need to do tomorrow morning. Just really sort of slow it down. I think the first time you are in those finals, it feels like a really big, fast-paced event. Whereas I think we need to all slow it down and take a big breath, and hopefully we are able to do that as a group," she added.
Wolvaardt was also all praises for all-rounder Marizanne Kapp, who scored a crucial 42 and took a massive five-wicket haul in a one-side semifinal clash against England, pointing out her hardwork and how she "hits the most balls, does the most prep" in the nets and called her "two players in one".
"She probably does not need to do half of that work because she is so talented. But yeah, I think she gets a lot of confidence from her preparation. So I think she is always really specific about the way that she prepares. She is probably the most specific person I have seen training-wise out of everyone that I have trained with," she added.
In seven innings, Kapp has scored 204 runs at an average of 34.00, with a strike rate of over 103 and two fifties in this tournament. With the ball, she has taken 12 wickets at an average of 15.33 and has best figures of 5/20.
Squads:
India Women Squad: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh(w), Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur, Sneh Rana, Harleen Deol, Arundhati Reddy, Uma Chetry
South Africa Women Squad: Laura Wolvaardt(c), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta(w), Annerie Dercksen, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Masabata Klaas, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Karabo Meso.
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