The days of ODI domination are over. The Proteas Women will want to fight themselves back into the thick of things with 4 games remaining in the series. Yet, at the same time, the victors of the maiden contest would want to continue the winning momentum, not only because the White Ferns are the hosts but also because another win could take them to the business end of the 5-match series.
That said make no mistake. Sophie Devine, who endured a rigorous consecutive streak of defeats in the ODIs would know the significance of a series win again in the T20 leg of the contest. That should be a close indication of where the White Ferns- now powered by a dangerous set in Rachael Priest, Maddy Green, Leigh Kasparek, and Suzie Bates- stand in their preparations of the Women’s T20 World Cup. But the Proteas Women, playing with the passion and energy we know them for, shall not shy away from springing back a surprise.
So which players from the Proteas Women line-up will need to fire if the visitors are to claw back into the action during the Second T20 of the 2020 series?
Lizelle Lee- Can The Big-Hitting Opener Bring ODI Form Into T20s
With scores like 99, 38, 20, Lee, the most powerful and dangerous exponent lit up the ODI series for her side. South Africa generally seem a safe side when Lee gets going, which is often. A fine T20 strike rate of around 108 lends credibility to the passionate South African batting, such a definitive feature of the Proteas unit. If by virtue of experience, Mignon could be likened to Suzie Bates, then Lizelle Lee is an antidote to someone like a Sophie Devine from the opposition camp. If the Proteas Women are to counter the White Ferns with a good team score, then it’s imperative for Lee to get going.
Mignon Du Preez- The Middle-Order Mainstay To Carve Runs
Batting mainstay of the middle-order, Mignon is the smile and the shining force of the Proteas Women, a team that becomes all the more exciting to watch when its former captain, among the best batswomen in the game, gets going.
The scorer of most T20 runs for the Proteas women, Mignon, who remained unbeaten in all ODIs she featured in this series previously, will be the key batswoman to watch from the South African line-up. After all off day for her team, the veteran with 1,589 runs in the shortest format, including 7 fifties will be someone the team will look up to for useful runs.
Someone who takes pride in the achievement of her fellow compatriots, du Preez, with her ever-cheerful disposition will be expected to fire up the runs in the rest of the games. A selfless batswoman, someone who can stitch vital stands and often in crunch situations, can the defender of Proteas women stand tall ahead?
Sune Luus- Can The All-Rounder Deliver For Proteas Women
A charismatic all-rounder that possesses magic as much as the quintessential foxiness one can expect from a leg-break specialist, the game seldom lacks the thrill when Sune Luus is out in the middle.
A few hours from now, Luus, star in the ODIs, who by virtue of her magnificent 6 for 45 became the only woman in the sport to take 2 six-fours, will again be at the center of the challenge.
The 41 T20 wickets at an economy of little over 6 indicate the prowess of the smiling spinner who can bat with ease and collect useful runs often quicker than run-a-ball.
One of the cerebral forces of the Proteas line-up, the scorer of 613 T20 runs- including 3 fifties- shall be expected to strike it big in this next game.
Marizanne Kapp
It’s a bit of a surprise that Marizanne Kapp- among the most dangerous all-rounders in the game- wasn’t in the playing eleven of the opening contest of the T20 series. Should she along with regular (go-to) captain Dane van Niekerk return to the side, for this next game, we could suddenly see a formidable line up squaring up against the Kiwis.
Kapp was among the pick of the bowlers in the recent ODIs where pairing up alongside Luus’s leg breakers and Ismail’s fiery pace bowling spells, she razed down the hosts in the 50-over contests. A destructive batter who’s often promoted up the order to spruce up the scoring, “Kappie” with 56 wickets and 857 runs against her name, will be expected to feature in the key 2nd T20. Can Marizanne put all the years of playing T20s into play and help the Proteas Women with a win?
Chloe Tryon- can the captain inspire a win?
It’s hardly a surprise that in the absence of van Niekerk, Chloe Tryon was promoted as the T20 leader. The ball often stays hit, when the 26-year-old hits it with mighty power, making full use of the depth of the crease.
Back in 2018, Tryon, a key force of the Proteas Women’s limited-overs contests shot to worldwide acclaim striking 32 off just 7 balls. Fiery sixes carved with sheer power everywhere over the mid-wicket and long-off region were a constant feature of that valiant effort wherein a Mithali Raj, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur-powered side learned a Protea powering runs at a strike rate of 457. You read that right. A few games later, she would bounce higher, scoring 34, although, this time taking just 15 balls.
The strike rates measure exceedingly high and point northward when Durban’s famous daughter goes out to bat. It would be just the thing the Proteas women would want of their skipper in the second game.