Proteas women gear up to face ‘really crafty’ Pakistan in ODI series

Laura Wolvaardt (centre) and Suné Luus running between the wickets for South Africa as Pakistan captain Fatima Sana looks on during their World Cup match in Colombo in October last year. Picture: Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP The Proteas are expecting a tough challenge against Pakistan, according to captain Laura Wolvaardt, as they prepare for the first of three women’s one-day international (ODI) matches against the tourists in Bloemfontein on Sunday (10am start).

In their last ODI against Pakistan, the SA teamthumped their opponents by 150 runson the DLS method in a World Cup group match in Colombo in October. And the Proteasearned a 2-1 victoryin the three-match T20 series against the sub-continent side earlier this month. Wolvaardt, however, said they were bracing for a hard-fought battle as Pakistan aimed to turn things around by returning home with a series win.

“I think they’re really competitive opponents, especially when conditions are a bit slower. They’re really skilful and their spinners are really hard to get away,” Wolvaardt said on Saturday. “I think a flatter track maybe suits our side a bit more.

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We have a lot of power with the bat in the middle-order, but it’s very conditions based. “They can be really good and really crafty, so it’s just about our batting unit identifying that early and identifying which shots we can play, whether it’s a wicket where we have to really graft against their spinners or whether it’s a wicket we can play our shots on. “We play against each other a lot, so they know a lot of our weaknesses… and we’ve got to keep evolving and keep adapting.” It was announced earlier this week that experienced all-rounder Marizanne Kapp had beenruled out of the ODI seriesdue to illness.

Uncapped all-rounder Fay Cowling was called up in her place, and Wolvaardt looked forward to seeing the 18-year-old player in action if she got a chance to compete against Pakistan. “She’s a very exciting talent. It’s crazy how young she still is… so I’m very excited to see her play and see how she settles in with the group,” the skipper said.

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