Published: Mar 25, 2016, 08:27 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 25, 2016, 08:27 PM (IST)
Bengaluru: South African captain Mignon du Preez today compared leg-break bowler Sune Luus to Australian spin great Shane Warne. “Luus probably can be likened to Shane Warne as she is a leg-break bowler like Shane Ware – in fact she had an opportunity to meet him before the last World CDup. She had a chance to sit down and chat with him. She has come a long way, and I would think Shane Warne is probably one of her favorite cricketers as well,” Du Preez told reporters on the eve of New Zealand vs South Africa ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Group B match. Commenting on Sune Luus’ five-wicket haul for eight runs against Ireland, Du Preez said she expects better performance from her on Chinnaswamy deck on Saturday. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: New Zealand Women vs South Africa Women, T20 Women’s World 2016, Match 17 at Bengaluru
“There is still lot of time to know the conditions here. Our past experience about Indian pitches is that it favours spin. It feels good Luus came up with a five-wicket haul performance. I expect better performance from her on this strip also,” she said. Asked about New Zealand’s unbeaten run so far in the tournament, Du Preez said they are focused on executing their plans tomorrow. “It is going to be one of the contest. We will execute our plan and will not worry much about it,” she said.
Asked if she is expecting a spin battle here tomorrow, Du Preez said the pitch looks good for batting, but they would decide on the team composition after a look at the pitch. “It will not necessarily be a battle between spinners. The pitch looks good for batting. We probably got the strongest seam attack in the world. We will look at the wicket and then decide whether to go for pace or spinners. We and New Zealand also rely more on their seam attack,” she said. Earlier, New Zealand women’s captain Suzie Bates said her team is ready to face any side in the semifinals. “Pakistan has been performing well, except they lost to West Indies in their first encounter. However they have two wins, and England has won all their matches and are table-toppers. They had a couple of very close games against India and West Indies. That group (B) group is looking strong.
Also, India and Australia have a chance to sneak in,” she said. Asked whether New Zealand will test their bench strength as they have already qualified for the semifinals, Bates said “We will take this match seriously because we have not yet been guaranteed a semifinal berth.”
