Dubai: South Africa's hopes of achieving the highest-ever run chase in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 fell short as they faced a crushing defeat in the final. Captain Laura Wolvaardt expressed the need for her team to reflect on their performance.
“I think we'll have to have a good reflection on what exactly happened. We're still a bit fresh right now. But halfway through, I think we were still backing ourselves to chase a little bit. It's going to be a record run chase, but we got off to an absolute flyer,” Wolvaardt said in a post-match interview.
This defeat marks another heartbreaking moment for South Africa, who lost the 2023 T20 World Cup final against Australia and failed to secure their first title despite their best efforts.
Wolvaardt finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer and provided a strong start in the chase, with the team at 47/0 after the Powerplay. However, the quick dismissals of Tazmin Brits and Wolvaardt herself led to a collapse that the team could not recover from.
"I definitely thought it was game on after that (Powerplay). But they really put the squeeze on after that. I think overs 7-11 were probably not our best phase. But credit to them; they performed well during that phase," she added.
Despite the disappointment, Wolvaardt remains optimistic about the team's future. South Africa showcased their talent by defeating six-time champions Australia in the semifinals, a significant achievement.
The skipper praised both the experienced players and the promising youngsters in the team. "It’s very exciting. Obviously, you have some really experienced players like Marizanne Kapp, but you have some awesome youngsters coming through.
“You have some youngsters on the bench that didn't get an opportunity for the World Cup but have been very exciting in previous series. So, we’ll just keep building, go back to the drawing board, and hopefully have a good next World Cup,” she concluded.
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