Top-order troubles leave Proteas Women in peril ahead of decisive clashes

Performances with the bat over the next two games in the Tri-Series between Sri Lanka and India will be crucial, if the Proteas Women are to progress in the short tournament.

More than just progressing, a solid showing with the bat in the upcoming matches would also affirm the hard work the squad has been putting in during training.

At present, however, the situation does not seem to be swinging in favour of the green and gold. The team is coming off two consecutive defeats, with coach Mandla Mashimbyi stating there were no excuses for the poor batting displays.

The Proteas Women lost their first match of the series after being bowled out in the 49th over by India, falling short by 15 runs. A heroic effort by Tazmin Brits, who scored 109 from 107 deliveries, was not enough to carry them over the line against a dominant Indian side. The middle-order collapsed, and the tail end was quickly wiped out.

A few days later, Sri Lanka claimed victory over the Proteas, winning by five wickets with 21 balls to spare. There were a few scattered contributions with the bat, including Annerie Dercksen’s unbeaten 61 and Lara Goodall’s 46 off 63, helping the Proteas to post a total of 235.

However, Sri Lankan opening bowler Malshi Madushika (previously referred to as Malki Madara) dismantled the South African batting line-up with figures of 4/50 from 10 overs. She was ably supported by Dewmi Vihanga, who returned 3/41 from her 10 overs.

“Obviously disappointing results for us,” Mashimbyi said after the loss to Sri Lanka.

"I think we let ourselves down with the bat. The conditions weren’t that bad, to be honest — I think we didn’t play them as well as we should have.

"We always knew it would be tough coming here, and the heat was on. You could see the girls suffering.

“That’s not an excuse. I think we could have capitalised better from a batting point of view. There were moments when we had good partnerships, but we lost wickets at crucial times.

"That denied us the momentum we needed to post a competitive score,” he added.

“The girls did try, but I think we just didn’t put enough runs on the board. We’ll return to the drawing board and ensure that the lessons from these two games are applied correctly in the next two.”

The lessons from the defeats will hopefully come into effect as the Proteas Women prepare to face both India and Sri Lanka once more. They will take on India on Wednesday and Sri Lanka on Friday, in what will ultimately decide the outcome of the Tri-Series.

At the time of writing, India and Sri Lanka are locked in battle. India — clearly the strongest of the three sides — currently lead the Tri-Series with two wins from two matches. A win On Sunday would secure their place in the final, leaving Sri Lanka and South Africa to battle it out for the remaining spot.