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South Africa will face familiar foes as they seek to get their T20 World Cup campaign back on track at Edgbaston, and though they are favourites to beat Pakistan on Wednesday (7.30pm SA time), they are well aware of the potential pitfalls that await. While they were left deflated after a disappointing performance in their opening match against Australia, the Proteas are also aware Saturday’s 65-run loss in Manchester need not be fatal.“It’s not ideal to start with a loss, but there’s no reason why we can’t bounce back. We’ve shown it in the last couple of World Cups,” said Nadine de Klerk ahead of the second game in Birmingham. In 2023, South Africa suffered a shock defeat at Newlands to Sri Lanka in their opening match of that year’s T20 World Cup but gradually climbed back into contention and, after a stunning win against England in the semifinal, qualified for their first ICC final. In last year’s ODI World Cup in India, they were bowled out for 69 and thrashed by England in the opener but also showed the mental strength to put that disappointment behind them to produce some outstanding performances, most notably in the semifinal, where they returned the favour to the English. In those two tournaments, it was all about resilience, and while that characteristic must be on display again in the next week, there are also some crucial changes that need to be made both in terms of personnel and how the team approaches each fixture. What to do about the No 3 and 4 spots in the batting order would have occupied plenty of chatter internally. Annerie Dercksen scored only four, after being chosen at No 3, leaving the door ajar for either Dané van Niekerk or Tazmin Brits to return to the starting team. The problem with that veteran pair is that neither of them has shown good form this year, and in Brits’ case, she looked well short of confidence even before South Africa left for England.The Proteas added to their problems by putting De Klerk into bat at No 4 against the Australians, and she used up too many deliveries and kept skipper Laura Wolvaardt off strike in the early stages of South Africa’s power play. As a result, she put pressure on the rest of the batting order.De Klerk admitted she was surprised to be in that spot, and the fact that Marizanne Kapp, who usually bats No 4 and has been successful there, was shifted down one place upset the balance and rhythm of the Proteas innings. South Africa should rectify that mistake for what will be a day-night clash at Edgbaston against a Pakistan side who will also be looking to bounce back after being thumped by rivals India last Sunday. The Proteas are aware of what is coming their way — another test by spin. They failed against the Australian tweakers in their opener but will hope that playing under lights will negate that threat from the Pakistanis. Besides the fielding, which must improve after a shoddy performance in that department last weekend, Wolvaardt’s captaincy will also be under scrutiny on Wednesday. The Proteas captain is too formulaic and needs to make better use of the resources at her disposal. While Australia bowled spin for 75% of South Africa’s innings, there were only six overs from the Proteas tweakers.Sune Luus and Kayla Reyneke didn’t bowl at all. Though Reyneke is still new to the international arena, when conditions are what they were in Manchester, she has to be worth at least a couple of overs. “The coach has told me to be flexible, so I will see where I can contribute,” said Reyneke. South Africa have won all three previous meetings with Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. The last of those was in Sydney six years ago.
