On Friday, the Proteas’ campaign got off to the worst possible start with a 10-wicket drubbing at the hands of England in their opening game in Guwahati. A poor performance with the bat saw South Africa bowled out for a meagre 69, with only wicketkeeper Sinola Jafta reaching double figures with her knock of 22.

The English had no trouble whatsoever in chasing down the runs to claim a big first-up victory.

Sinalo Jafta. Photo: Cricinfo

While the Proteas were thoroughly thumped, the New Zealanders themselves didn’t get off to a good start either, being demolished by 89 runs by the defending champions, Australia.

The Proteas have put Friday’s poor batting display behind them, and Jafta echoed captain Laura Wolvaardt’s sentiments that one swallow does not make a summer.

“I think when you just look at the team, we always knew coming into a tournament like this, games like this happen,” said Jafta.

“I think because it’s such a long tournament – from us as a team and also as a batting unit – it’s just about accepting what has happened. Laura capped it off nicely and said we don’t become a bad batting unit overnight.

“I think you can’t take away the smarts from England. They came in with a plan and executed it quite well. When you look at how we went about things, I think we were a bit rushed.

“I think we weren’t really present in that moment. From my side personally, when I went back, I was like, I don’t think I was really present in that delivery I went out for.

Suné Luus. Photo: Cricinfo

“It’s just being honest and saying it wasn’t a good day, and we take what we want from it, but we’re not going to dwell on it.

“We’re just going to say, this is what didn’t work, and now we literally have another game. It’s a long tournament. You can’t dwell on one performance.”

Jafta added that being at a different venue would also go a long way in burying Friday’s disappointment.

“Coming to Indore, the people have been fantastic. . . it’s like a fresh perspective.

Marizanne Kapp. Photo: Cricinfo

“We had our first training session just now, so it’s about getting a sense of the conditions. We saw what happened in the first game – it was a high-scoring day. I think for us as a batting unit, it’s just about knuckling down and focusing on our batting.

“Don’t think too much about the outcome. Just take it one ball at a time. I mean, you saw a different story when Tazmin Brits and the others came in up front, and I think it’s a brilliant opportunity for them, especially with this game coming up.”

Play between the Proteas and the Silver Ferns at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore is scheduled to get underway at 11:30.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cvs