Christchurch, March 28 (IANS) South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt remains optimistic, aiming to “be a lot better” in the upcoming three-match ODI series after her side’s 1-4 loss to Amelia Kerr-led New Zealand in the T20I series. The three ODIs have significant importance for the team’s qualification for the 2029 ODI World Cup.

Ahead of the first ODI in Christchurch on Sunday, Wolvaardt expressed confidence in their preparations. “We’ve had some good reflections and a couple of good meetings. Obviously, we want to be a lot better in this ODI series. It’s a format we’ve been pretty good in, or pretty consistent in, over the last couple of months, so it’s about thinking back to what worked for us, especially in that World Cup and what we did well,” she said.

Despite the T20I setback, Wolvaardt remains focused on their strength in the 50-over format. “We probably didn’t execute as well as we would have liked in the T20Is, but I think the plans that we have in place for the ODIs are pretty solid. So hopefully we can put up better performances,” she added.

South Africa have proven themselves as one of the top teams in the ODI circuit, reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and the final of the 2025 edition, where they narrowly lost to India. Their position in the ICC Women’s Championship standings remains strong, sitting third behind New Zealand and Sri Lanka after a 2-1 series win over Pakistan earlier this year.

Wolvaardt emphasised the significance of every match in the context of the Championship, noting, “The points are super important. Obviously, those points are for the championship. We want to get into a position early where we can qualify and not have to scramble at the end of the cycle, so every game is super important. It just gives that little bit of something extra to play for, makes it a pretty high-stakes game, so we’re looking forward to playing our best cricket, and hopefully it brings out the best in the players.”

The squad, featuring key performers from their win over Pakistan, such as Sune Luus, Annerie Dercksen, Tazmin Brits, Sinalo Jafta, and Nonkululeko Mlaba, is ready for the challenge against a New Zealand side in excellent form. The Kiwis, who failed to advance past the World Cup group stages last year, have since dominated Zimbabwe in both T20I and ODI formats and triumphed over South Africa in the T20I series.

The two teams last met in the World Cup, where South Africa secured a six-wicket victory, chasing down New Zealand’s total of 231 with 55 balls to spare.

“They’re obviously a very good side. You can see that they have clear plans for all of us and are very well prepared,” Wolvaardt acknowledged. “But I think in this series we’re definitely looking to be a bit more proactive, be a bit braver, make certain moves earlier and hopefully put them under a bit more pressure.”

–IANS

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