SA face tall order at WT20

TMG Digital

TELFORD VICE in Lisbon

SOUTH Africa won’t want for a challenge in the World T20, which will be played in Guyana, St Lucia and Antigua in November.

The first group match, against Sri Lanka, and their last, against one of the two sides from the qualifier in the Netherlands next month, are likely to be their lowest hurdles.

But Dané van Niekerk and her team will have to be at their best to beat their other opponents — hosts and current champions West Indies and England, who won the inaugural tournament in 2009 and have reached two other finals.

Van Niekerk talked a good game in an International Cricket Council release announcing the fixtures on Monday, in which she was quoted as saying: “I think we have a very dynamic side. We have hitters, we have runners, we have variation in the bowling attack as well.

“We are a free-spirited team and we enjoy it because we can express ourselves.”

South Africa’s best performance in the five editions of the event so far was the semi-final they reached in 2014. They will play all their group matches in St Lucia.

Two semi-finalists will emerge from each group of five teams, and the final will be played in Antigua on November 24.

Both semis are also scheduled for Antigua, and on the same day.

In Taunton on Saturday, Van Niekerk did a fine job of leading her side out of the darkness they would have been plunged into three days previously.

Having crashed to New Zealand and England in their T20 double-header on Wednesday, and taken ownership of a few unwanted world records in the process, South Africa got their act together well enough to beat the home side by six wickets at the weekend.

Raisibe Ntozakhe and Van Niekerk each went for less than a run a ball in England’s 160/5.

Then Lizelle Lee and Sune Luus overcame the loss of Laura Wolvaardt to the fourth ball of South Africa’s reply with stand of 103. They won with three balls to spare.

South Africa’s next and last round-robin game is against New Zealand in Bristol on Wednesday.

The final of the triangular tournament is set for Chelmsford on Sunday.

South Africa’s World T20 fixtures:

Nov 12: v Sri Lanka, St Lucia

Nov 14: v West Indies, St Lucia

Nov 16: v England, St Lucia

Nov 18: v Qualifier 1, St Lucia

Knock-out matches:

Nov 22: Semi-final 1, Antigua

Nov 22: Semi-final 2, Antigua

Nov 24: Final, Antigua