Anneke Bosch is expecting another match-defining tussle against England’s spinner today in the third and final ODI in Potchefstroom. | Backpagepix
The Proteas women are looking to make amends for a disappointing turnout in the T20 Internationals with a first-ever series victory against England in the final ODI at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom today (starts 2pm).
The series is locked at 1-1 after both sides inflicted heavy defeats on each other in the first two matches.
India will host the 13th edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup next year, and as important as winning this series will be, a lot of work will also go towards shaping their teams ahead of the global showpiece.
South Africa will face the tough task of bouncing back from their crushing six-wicket loss at Kingsmead in Durban on Sunday. They will need to produce an improved showing if they are to secure their first series win against the former world champions.
Batting all-rounder Anneke Bosch believes the Proteas understand the importance of the match, and they will be better prepared heading into the contest.
“We had a couple of tough conversations after the second game; we didn’t apply and execute as we wanted to,” Bosch told the media.
She added, “It will be very important for us to get a series win against England.
“Our T20 series after the World Cup was quite disappointing because of the tournament we had and how well we did there. We had a young team, and there were a lot of new players, but we are still disappointed in how that went and, hopefully, we can make ourselves proud by winning the 50-over series.”
Reflecting on their past encounters, Bosch noted, “The last time we played against them in both formats in England, we didn’t do so well. I think they beat us in all the games, but we are looking forward to today and really looking forward to winning the series.”
The Proteas lost seven of their 10 wickets to spin twins Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone. Bosch mentioned that the team is aware of the threat they pose, and they have been working on navigating this challenge in preparation for the fixture.
The right-handed batter added that they will also take confidence and positives from their six-wicket win in the first clash in Kimberley last week.
“They are world-class spinners, and they have been bowling well throughout the series, and they have put us under pressure. We have been working on plans against them and ways to go about how to apply ourselves a little better when facing them.”
She concluded, “I think they will be as good as any other game today as well, but it will be up to us on how we go about it and try to put pressure on them.
“The fact that we played the first ODI after the T20 series just shows we have the ability to bounce back. We won't look too much into the second game that we lost, but we will take the learnings from that.
“We beat them convincingly in Kimberley, and knowing that we can do it again, we will be ready for the challenge, and we will give it our best.”
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