Proteas Women’s all-rounder Annerie Dercksen says South Africa have what it takes to go one better than their last campaign and win the country’s first World Cup.
South Africa’s hard-fought 2-1 away series win against Pakistan set them up perfectly in their final preparations ahead of the start of the T20 World Cup in the UAE in less than a week.
Dercksen starred with the bat after scoring an impressive 44 off 23 balls in Multan, and helped the Proteas secure their first series win since they reached their first World Cup final, which they lost by 19 runs against Australia at Newlands last year.
The Proteas are due to play New Zealand on Sunday and India on Tuesday in warm-up matches in Dubai, before they take on the West Indies in their first World Cup encounter on October 3.
Speaking to Independent Newspapers, the Proteas all-rounder said she was happy about the depth in the squad, and that she is enjoying the freedom the batting line-up offers to her to play her natural game.
“I think we are blessed with quite a few all-rounders in the team, but there hasn’t been any specific role assigned to me. We are privileged to have quite a lot people that are flexible and can bat and bowl in any situation,” she said.
“At the moment, I do whatever the team needs me to do, wherever they need me.
“The warm-up matches will give us a good feel for the conditions, and it’s crucial since we haven’t played a lot of cricket in the UAE – it’s only a handful of players who have played here.
“It will also give the rest of the squad exposure to the rest of the conditions and what it might be like, and maybe there are some combinations the coaches might want to try.
“But from the players’ point of view, it will be to see what might and might not work.”
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Prior to the Pakistan series, the Proteas were winless in their six previous series they played, and their timely win in similar conditions to what they will get in the UAE has kick-started their preparations in positive fashion.
The 23-year-old Dercksen was happy to have come to the crease when the platform was perfectly laid for her to showcase her skills, and she has complimented the value that the experienced players add to the side.
“I came in when Laura (Wolvaardt) and Anneke (Bosch) set the game up nicely. Pakistan were on the back foot, and I was able to continue with the momentum when Suné (Luus) and Laura were batting with me at the time.
“They are both experienced players, and they were able to keep me calm and told me to play my game.
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“I think I’m naturally an aggressive batter, and our batting coach (Baakier Abrahams) gave me freedom just to bat.
“I knew we had quality players like Chloe (Tryon) and Nadine (de Klerk) still to come, so I was able to bat with freedom and just play my game.
“My biggest achievement from the tournament would be for us to win the World Cup.”