New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) Led by the prolific Laura Wolvaardt and powered by veteran Marizanne Kapp, South Africa stand on the brink of history – of winning their first-ever Women’s ODI World Cup title. Sunday’s final against India at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai offers them a chance to shed the nearly tag that has followed them after being runners-up in two T20 World Cups.
Whether it’s India or South Africa, the crowning of a new ODI World Cup champion will reshape the global narrative around women’s cricket. For the Proteas, it’s a shot at redemption and validation to achieve silverware glory.
Paul Adams, the former South Africa player who was the spin bowling coach of the side that finished as runner-up in the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, spoke exclusively to IANS on the build-up to the final, the players who can play a decisive role in the final, and more. Excerpts:
Q. This is South Africa’s first-ever appearance in a Women’s ODI WC final. So what’s the mood like back home?
A. Everyone’s really buzzing and talking about the women’s game. For South Africa, it’s one where I think it’s the first time one of our cricket teams have been in the 50-over ODI World Cup final. So it’s exciting — ladies have always shown and led the way.
If you track it back to the last couple of years, the South African cricket sides, both men and women, have been in really good positions to win those events, but have fallen short. Recently, the men have just won the World Test Championship. So hopefully the tide is turned this time.
Q. Laura Wolvaardt hit the sublime touch through that 169 against England. How central is her role going to be in anchoring South Africa’s innings in the final?
A. Laura always brings that personality and that sort of aura around her. She’s in control. I think from a young age, if you followed her career, she’s had this aura around her of a good sense of control and a calmness around her. Leading into the World Cup, you could sense there wasn’t much form, but it’s turning on at the right moment.
For her to click and get everything in top gear and make sure that she’s leading from the front is very important. She sort of sets that pace for the South African side, and everyone can play around her. So that is going to be key, again, going into this final. I’m always one to say that your experience wins your finals.
So for South Africa, this is the moment you’ve got to stand up and actually show you’re a big champion. So that’s the pressure – you’ve earned it, and sometimes people say, oh, they don’t want that.
But you earned pressure because you’ve shown the performances in the past. You’ve shown what you can do, and that’s a privilege. You’ve got to just take it on board and go out there and just do your stuff.
Q. Marizanne Kapp arrives after having a brilliant all-round show in the semifinal. How do you see her influencing Sunday’s title clash?
A. I’ve noticed that she’s taken the positive route in all moments at this stage of her career. I can see it when the moment she walks in to bat. If a bad ball is presented, she puts it away. She’s not doubting herself, as she’s coming in with a positive body language. I think the team also feeds off her body language.
You can see she’s very animated when she takes a wicket. She’s the heartbeat of everything around and within this team. The moment Marizanne is in a positive space, she’s cheering on and is encouraging all. She’s the heartbeat of that team. It’s so great to see this positivity come out. For her to lift that trophy is going to be a big moment for all of us.
Q. Nadine de Klerk’s power-hitting propelled South Africa to win over India in the league stage. How important is her role going to be, especially with DY Patil Stadium being good for batters?
A. It’s been absolutely amazing. Nadine de Klerk has come of age, where she’s actually put into her role to finish the game. Also, you’ve noticed whenever South Africa have been in a bit of trouble, she’s come out and continues in a positive way of playing.
She’s not looking at how we can work the situation or how we are going to go about it? She knows how she plays and what’s going to bring a good performance towards the team. So, if she has a high strike rate, she’s really turned the game on its head.
Sometimes when players have these forms in World Cups, it’s so important just to keep running with it, take it, and just move on with it. So, it’s so key for her, and with Chloe Tryon playing alongside, she’s showing that experience and actually just guiding Nadine de Klerk in playing in a positive way.
Q. Nonkululeko Mlaba has quietly built a reputation as a game-changer with the ball. What impresses you the most about her evolution in the Proteas setup?
A. She’s been very good. Mlaba has been a great performer for the team, actually, for the last couple of years. She’s using her experience. I can see even when she’s doing her interviews, how she’s talking about the game – she’s really leading in that sense in terms of where she’s bowling and the roles and time of it.
The moments she comes on are actually the key for that South African side. We can see they’re utilising Chloe Tryon early on in the innings, in the power plays, and all of those things. So, for her to go about it, she’s taking that on how to take wickets of the middle-order batters.
So, it’s so good just to see that the South African side has got the weapons to be able to do that. Chloe Tryon and you’ve got Sune Luus as well, who’s turned to off-spin, and she’s really put on great performances. So, everyone is playing second fiddle to the lead spinner, Mlaba, who’s leading from the front.
Q. What specific questions can South Africa’s bowling unit pose to disrupt the rhythm of a formidable Indian batting line-up?
A. The batting is the powerhouse within that Indian side. They’ve got a great batting lineup. So, any team that has that, it becomes so important to take wickets up front. So, they’re going to be really challenged by an in-form Marizanne Kapp, who’s really been striking up front.
Well, for both sides, in any World Cup, if you can take wickets up front, it puts pressure on. But it’s about how you can manage your pressure, how you embrace pressure, and deal with it. So, exposing those middle-order batters early on will put them under tremendous pressure to score those runs, no matter what it is. So, finals are one-off games. Anyone on their day can really put on a performance and win it for their team.
So, one thing for me, when I saw it was India and South Africa in this final, it’s a great turning point in the game. It’s the first time both these teams are in a 50-over World Cup final, and we’ll have a new winner from that. It’s always been dominated by Australia within that lineup, or England.
But it’s going to be such a key moment for both these teams. I can understand that emotions will be running high. We’ll see at the moment when they sing those anthems, and then see how they go about the game. Those butterflies will be fluttering around, but these two teams deserve to be in that final. To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.
–IANS
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