Last week, the Proteas lost their opening match by 15 runs to India and then went down by five wickets to hosts Sri Lanka.

Despite the two defeats, both matches were much more competitive than the scorelines suggest.

South Africa will also have taken note of Sri Lanka’s three-wicket win over India on Sunday – a result that keeps the Tri-Series wide open.

To stand a chance of reaching the final, the Proteas will need to claim their first victory of the tournament. The squad remains confident that the breakthrough is around the corner.

With the bat against Sri Lanka, Annerie Dercksen scored a career-best 61*, Lara Goodall added 46, Chloe Tryon chipped in with 35, and Suné Luus contributed 31. The signs are encouraging, but South Africa need to win more of the game’s smaller moments to turn solid performances into results.

Goodall, a late call-up to replace the injured Anneke Bosch, said there’s still time to fine-tune a few areas before the next game. “I don’t think it’s anything major – we’ve got a few days to get back into the nets and work on some execution.

Mindset most important

“But I think the thinking and mindset are there, and that’s the most important part. Over the next few days, we’ll focus on sharpening our skills and come out fighting on Wednesday.”

The stifling heat and humidity have definitely played a role in Sri Lanka, but it’s something the team knows comes with the territory. Young wicketkeeper Karabo Meso had to be replaced during the match against Sri Lanka by Sinola Jafta due to heat exhaustion.

Experienced all-rounder Nadine de Klerk admitted the conditions have been testing but says adapting is part and parcel of the game. “It’s obviously extremely hot – I think batting first and then having to field straight after lunch is never easy,” said De Klerk. “Especially in these conditions, and we didn’t have a lot of runs on the board.

“We had to put in a big shift today and unfortunately couldn’t get over the line, but we know it’s going to be tough. That’s not going to change. I guess it’s about taking the learnings from these past few games, figuring out how we can improve, and trying to adapt to the heat – because, like I said, it’s not going anywhere.”

Wednesday’s game between South Africa and India in Colombo is scheduled to start at 6:30.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg