South Africa maintains its momentum while New Zealand and Devine huddle with their wounds.

Monday was a challenging day for South Africa even before they arrived at Boland Park to play New Zealand in the women’s T20 World Cup.

A loss would have likely eliminated them from contention for the semifinals. Only four of their twelve players who joined the WPL auction were purchased.

They had little control over what a group of wealthy franchise owners across the globe thought, but they were responsible for their performance. They performed poorly in the tournament’s opening match at Newlands on Friday, losing to Sri Lanka by three runs after scoring only 129 runs. They were in risk of being demoted to the kitchen at their own party if they suffered another loss.

Similar statements might be made regarding New Zealand. Saturday at Boland Park, in pursuit of 174 to defeat Australia, they were bowled out for 76. And only two of their 19 players who were up for auction were hired.
South Africa concluded the day far better than New Zealand. They scored 132/6 before dismissing the New Zealanders for 67. How was it possible for a team that had played so terribly in Cape Town just three days later to completely reinvent themselves?

“We discussed it immediately following the Sri Lankan game,” said Chloe Tryon, who scored and took 2/12 from three overs. “We sat in the locker room and decided to leave it there. We anticipated a rapid turnaround. Going into the following game, we knew we had to ensure we were doing the correct things. I believe everyone arrived today with the intention of working extremely hard.

“I thought that our score of more over 130 was a little bit low. But each bowler knew what they needed to do, and you could feel the fire burning in each of them – they desired it so desperately. As a result, we are ensuring that this fire remains lit and being brutal as a bowling team.”

Sophie Devine had the more difficult job. How had the squad she captains sunk to two of New Zealand’s lowest five Twenty20 International totals within three days? “I doubt that many words can adequately explain the disappointment and embarrassment. This is not acceptable for an international cricket team, and I take full responsibility for this as captain and leader. It is not adequate.”

On Saturday, the resurrection of South Africa will be put to the test as they face overwhelming favourites Australia at St. George’s Park. But New Zealand, which faces Bangladesh at Newlands on Friday and Sri Lanka at Boland Park on Sunday, has virtually given up hope of advancing to the knockout stages.

Devine stated, “Honest answer, it’s pretty difficult to create it now.” “The manner in which our runrate has plummeted [to -4.050] is likely an indication that we will need to score approximately 8,000 runs while restricting Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to approximately 20. I suppose that funnier things have happened.

“But we’ve put ourselves in this position, so we must be truthful about it. This does not negate the value of these games, and we must hold ourselves accountable. Every time we put on the New Zealand shirt, we have to play with great pride. It is significant to this group.

“Yes, we’re going to be in a great deal of pain for several days. However, we must let it out and determine the cause.”

Had the WPL auction distracted her players? “I believe you’ve been living under a rock if you don’t believe that was a diversion; it was odd. Obviously, the timing was not ideal, but it is what it is. There were numerous conversations about it among our guys. I’m unsure of the proper or incorrect way to approach the situation, but we discussed it openly and how it affected us. The amount of money thrown towards women’s sport and women’s cricket, however, is astounding in the grand scheme of things.”

In the aftermath of Monday’s game, Devine spoke of “recovering, mourning, I don’t know what you call it.” However, her entire demeanour was one of fury. How would you express that? Would the target be her players?

She said, “It’s probably going to come out in tears,” and then fell into the deepest quiet. “Yes… now you’ve infuriated me.” When she regained her voice, her eyes lit up. “It is quite difficult to lose games of cricket in such a manner. I’d rather we went down swinging and were bowled out for 12 rather than hide our true talent and be so thrilled.

“South Africa deserves all the credit since they were the superior squad. However, becoming furious will not solve anything. In all honesty, I do not know the answer. And this is where the difficulty lies. I wish there was some type of magic bullet that could repair everything and bring us back to normal within the next few hours.

“But I don’t know the solution, and that’s what we’ll have to figure out as a team and go through as a group – figure it out together because we’re in it for the long haul, and that’s what I love about this group. We have not played up to our capabilities, which is disheartening, embarrassing, and disappointing.

“But I would do everything to perform for this group, and becoming furious won’t help the girls who are in the shed upstairs. In fact, I must round them and wrap my arm over them. We must find the positives, but the next twenty-four hours will be somewhat chaotic.”