Laura Wolvaardt says South Africa go into the contest knowing if they play their best cricket, they can beat Australia
Australia will give captain Alyssa Healy as long as possible before the match to determine whether she is fit for their T20 World Cup semi-final against South Africa.
Healy pulled up with a foot injury while running between wickets during Australia’s win against Pakistan and she watched their final group-stage game against India in a moon boot and on crutches.
Healy didn’t take part in an optional training session at the ICC Academy on Wednesday night. Ellyse Perry, who helped stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath during that match to great effect as Australia won a thriller, said on the eve of the semi-final that Healy would be given as much time as possible to recuperate before a decision was made on her availability.
“As it stands, it’s the same thing for Midgie [Healy], the medical staff and the team are going to give her every opportunity and possibility of playing tomorrow night,” Perry said. “I don’t think anything’s changed in that respect. We’ll just have to see in the next 24 hours.”
Perry said little had changed in the Australia camp since Healy’s injury, which happened the same night as fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck dislocated her shoulder. Vlaeminck was replaced in the squad by Heather Graham but has remained in the UAE to support the team.
“When stuff like that happens and you see things bringing your mate down like injury, it probably just strengthens that resolve to get around each other and be supportive,” Perry said. “But it’s really important to stay consistent and stick to the same processes that we’ve got and maintain that level of emotional consistency. Midge is such an important leader in our group and is still contributing just as much. So not too much has changed.”
The pressure-cooker of Sharjah stadium where a sold-out pro-India crowd of nearly 15,000 saw their side defeated by just nine runs provided Australia with a timely challenge ahead of the knockouts. Afterwards, McGrath made a point of mentioning the on-field support she had received from Perry and Ash Gardner.
“It’s always really helpful to be exposed to that kind of pressure and that kind of challenge from an opposition and it felt like a bit of a step up the other night, particularly with the full crowd there and probably not totally supportive of us,” Perry said. “It was a situation we’ve been in before but probably hadn’t been exposed to in this World Cup so far, so I thought the way we rose to that and just adapted to the challenge was awesome and hopefully that holds us in good stead for the time that we’ve got left in this tournament.”
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt, meanwhile, dubbed the replay of the last T20 World Cup final, which South Africa lost at home by 19 runs, as “a massive game for us”. Since then, South Africa have beaten Australia in a T20I, in Canberra this January.
That win, Wolvaardt said, had given South Africa confidence, not to mention their three victories in the group stages of this tournament, which were all played in Dubai, where Australia have played just once. South Africa’s only defeat was in Sharjah, to England, who then made a shock exit after losing their last game to West Indies.
“It brings back a little bit of déjà vu, just a year ago having to face them in the final,” Wolvaardt said. “A lot has happened since then, though obviously we had the two wins against them earlier this year [one in ODIs, one in T20Is], so I think that just gives a bit of a positive energy in the camp knowing that if we play our best cricket, they are beatable.”
And she said her side had grown since then, not just personnel-wise with the retirement of Shabnim Ismail, the departure of long-time coach Hilton Moreeng, and allrounder Annerie Dercksen coming into the side, but through experience also.
After the tour of Australia, South Africa lost a T20I series at home to Sri Lanka 2-1, drew 1-1 in India and beat Pakistan 2-1 away.
“It’s been a bit of an up and down year for us,” Wolvaardt said. “We’ve played some really good cricket in beating Australia and had a few disappointing series as well. But I feel like we have really hit our stride in this World Cup.”
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor, women’s cricket, at ESPNcricinfo
