Tryon hoping to help Proteas women to ODI series win over Pakistan

Returning allrounder Chloe Tryon is eager to get back down to business and help the Proteas women pick up an ODI series win against Pakistan, starting with the first game of the three-match series at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Sunday (10am start).

Tryon missed the team’s T20I series win due to an injury niggle she picked up playing in the Women’s Premier League earlier this month, but is available for selection for all three matches.

With star allrounder Marizanne Kapp having been left out of the ODI squad as a precautionary measure after falling ill in the third T20I earlier this week, Tryon will be expected to step up and take on many of those responsibilities.

If she is picked for Sunday’s game it will also be her first ODI since the World Cup final at the start of November, with her having played only T20 cricket since then, and she will have to hit the ground running.

Fit and ready

“I am fit and ready to go. It was unfortunate that I had picked up a bit of a niggle (before the T20 series), and I think it was important to have a bit of a rest. So I am really excited to get started with the ODI’s,” said Tryon.

“I am still thinking about that World Cup final and still trying to get past it (the disappointment). So it’s obviously exciting to get back into ODI cricket. I have played a lot of T20 cricket recently. Now it’s the longer format. You have to have a lot more patience and spend a lot of time in the middle.

“I am really excited for that opportunity. I have been working hard the last couple of weeks, so I am really excited to get on the park and contribute as much as I can with bat and ball. But it’s always great to play 50-over cricket, especially for your country.”

In the T20I series against Pakistan, the Proteas won the first two games to sew up the series early, with a last ball five wicket win, and a comfortable six wicket win, but in the third T20I were heavily beaten by Pakistan by 53 wickets, and they will have to get over that disappointment and bounce back.

Not as planned

“The team did fantastically in the T20 series. I think the last game obviously didn’t go our way, and we weren’t able to finish the series the way we wanted to. We always talk about dominating and getting on top of a team, but I feel we were behind the ball quite a bit in that last game,” admitted Tryon.

“But I still think they played really good, positive cricket and you can see the way we are improving every single game. With the T20 World Cup just around the corner you have to find ways to improve and I think we are on the right path.

“You always want to bounce back after a loss like that. I feel this team shows a lot of character. We showed that in the 50-over World Cup when we lost badly to England and in the next game we bounced back beautifully.

“So this team has a lot of character in it and we learn from our mistakes. 50-over cricket is a lot longer, you have to stay patient and gradually build partnerships.

“You have to bowl nice and tight and keep it simple, and in the field you have to make sure you are putting our bodies on the line and trying to cut off those ones.”

Important series

With an important T20I and ODI series in New Zealand following next month, before they head into the T20 World Cup in June, the Proteas women will want to build good momentum by clinching an ODI series win over Pakistan, after doing it in the T20I series.

“The main goal is definitely to get a series win. We know it isn’t going to be easy because in ODI cricket they have beaten us many times. So I think for us we need to make sure we stick to our gameplan,” explained Tryon.

“We have been working really hard. The girls have been putting in a lot of hard work behind the scenes, which is really good to see, and everyone is up for the challenge.

“Then after this we have New Zealand (away). So the main focus is building some good momentum and hopefully getting a series win, that we can go to New Zealand on a high and hopefully get a series win there.”

Following the opening ODI the Proteas take on Pakistan in the second match at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday and in the third game at Kingsmead in Durban next Sunday.