South Africa are hungry to close things out with a win, according to Proteas all-rounder Annerie Dercksen, despite New Zealand having already wrapped up the series victory ahead of the fifth and final women’s T20 International in Christchurch tomorrow (3.45am start).
The SA team were handed a six-wicket defeat in the fourth match of the campaign in Wellington on Sunday, with the hosts taking an unassailable 3-1 lead into the final game.
While they compiled a competitive total of 159/6, the Proteas were sloppy in the field and Dercksken felt they could have been tidier with the ball, allowing the White Ferns to chase down their target with nine balls to spare.
The fielding was particularly poor, with the SA side twice dropping experienced middle-order batter Sophie Devine who went on to make a match-winning 64 runs.
Improvements needed
Dercksen admitted they needed to improve in multiple areas in the final match of the series.
“It was obviously disappointing losing (in Wellington). I thought we put on a just above par score, and then maybe with the ball and in the field I thought we were a bit disappointing,” said Dercksen, who bashed 55 not out for her maiden T20 International half-century.
“I thought we missed our lines and lengths a bit with the ball, and obviously if you drop the amount of catches we did it’s very difficult to win a game of cricket.
“So there were some positives with the bat but we will definitely have to go back and look at what we did with the ball and in the field.”
‘A massive occasion’
In the build-up to the Women’s T20 World Cup to be played in England and Wales in June, Dercksen felt it was key to get back on the winning track.
She also hoped the Proteas could save some face by taking the dead rubber clash in Christchurch, ahead of a three-match one-day international series against New Zealand starting this weekend.
“Every game you get to play for your country is a massive occasion and we definitely won’t be taking it lightly,” Dercksen said.
“I also think 4-1 sounds a lot worse than 3-2, so there’s definitely still a lot on the line for us and it’s not a game we’re going to take lightly just because the series is lost.”
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