Didn't play our best cricket tonight: Laura Wolvaardt

South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt didn’t shy away from admitting that they didn’t play their best cricket in the grand finale of the 2024 T20 World Cup in Dubai on October 20 (Sunday). The Proteas women lost to New Zealand by 32 runs - their second defeat in a row in the T20 World Cup final.

Wolvaardt won the toss and decided to bowl first. The White Ferns came out all guns blazing, with the likes of Suzie Bates, Amelia Kerr and Brooke Halliday playing major knocks. Thanks to them, New Zealand posted a challenging total of 158/5 in their 20 overs. In reply, Wolvaardt hit 33 off 27 but nobody else could touch the 20-run mark. South Africa could only get to 126/9.

“We obviously had a really good semifinal (against Australia). Focus was to reset. Not get too ahead of ourselves. Knew we had a quality opponent in New Zealand to go up against. Didn't play our best cricket tonight. They really came at us hard in the powerplay. At first we thought we could ride the wave a bit with a few wickets here and there. But they just kept going. Probably let them score a bit too many,” said Wolvaardt after the game.

So, what next for South Africa, who played the same XI throughout the tournament? 

“Will have to have a good reflection on what really happened. Still fresh right now. Were backing ourselves at the halfway stage. They really put the squeeze after the powerplay. Very exciting. Have some really experienced players like Marizanne Kapp. Have some youngsters on the bench as well who didn't get an opportunity this WC.”

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