Series lost but Proteas going for Championship points

THE PROTEAS women will be out to snap a three match losing streak when they come up against India in the final One Day International (ODI) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru tomorrow (10am start SAT).

South Africa have failed to pick up any of the six points on offer in the last three matches in their quest for an automatic World Cup qualification.

Set a daunting target of 326 for victory, South Africa fell four runs short of what would have been a world record chase in women’s ODI cricket, making up for their below par showing in the first ODI where they only managed to score 122 runs in 37.4 overs.

India have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three match series, but with the ICC Women Championships points up for grabs, Proteas opening batter Tazmin Brits believes the final ODI will be anything but a dead rubber.

The 33-year-old has managed the scores of 18 and five since her return from injury.

Brits said: “I was glad I could make my comeback in India, but performance wise I would have liked a bit more runs behind my name, and I have worked on a few things, especially how I went out the previous match.

“I will probably continue being calm in the power play and get the team into a good position but once I’m in, I might be a bit aggressive.”

Brits added: “It’s never great to lose a series, but we still have the T20 and the Test series coming up.

“I actually think we have the upper hand. The World Cup is in a year’s time. We are fortunate to come and prepare here in a way, so at the end of the day we can only take positives out of it even if we have lost.

“Sometimes you learn more when you lose. Despite the loss, it’s good that we had the tour here.”

The Chinnaswamy pitches have been lively with the new ball, and they have also proven to get easier as the ball softens. The Proteas have also had their fair share of their problems with spin.

Brits said: “The wickets here are a lot more different, and they have a lot more spinners than we have back home. You have to be mentally prepared for what’s coming because we are not just playing against any team, but against one of the best teams in the world.

“We still want to stick to our basics. Yes, the series is lost but if we win we still get the ICC Women Championship points that are very valuable for us ahead of the World Cup qualification.

“We haven’t given up yet. It’s almost a must win game for us, even though the series has been lost.”