Indore, Oct 24 (NationPress) Following a significant loss to Australia in their concluding league match of the Women’s ODI World Cup, South Africa's captain Laura Wolvaardt remarked that the team intends to concentrate on the positives and swiftly shift their focus as they gear up for the semifinals, despite the disappointing defeat in Indore on Saturday.

The leg-spinner Alana King delivered a remarkable performance, taking 7 wickets for just 18 runs, which led to South Africa being bowled out for a mere 97 runs in 24 overs. Beth Mooney scored 42 runs while Georgia Voll remained unbeaten on 38, steering Australia to victory by seven wickets and securing the top position in the points table. Alana was awarded Player of the Match for her outstanding spell at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.

This defeat marked South Africa's ongoing struggle against Australia in the World Cup, as they have now lost nine consecutive times to the defending champions in this prestigious tournament.

“This is definitely not the conclusion we were aiming for in the group stages. We fell short in terms of runs scored. However, we have accomplished a lot of positive things throughout this tournament, so we will focus on that as we head into the semifinal. I wouldn’t say batting first was a negative experience. It’s something we know we wanted to practice more, though our last attempt didn’t go as planned. But I felt it was a decent pitch for batting. King bowled exceptionally well; we had discussed how to face her, but things didn’t go according to our plan. She performed brilliantly,” Wolvaardt shared during the post-match presentation.

Initially, South Africa had a decent start with Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits forming a 32-run opening partnership before Alana disrupted their innings. The Proteas captain contributed a 26-ball 31, striking seven fours, and appeared confident at the crease.

“It’s nice to feel that I’m timing the ball well. I’ll try to put today behind me and concentrate on all the positive things we have been doing. This tournament has been a true team effort. It’s inspiring to see various players stepping up, including the bowlers. Unfortunately, tonight wasn’t our best performance, but hopefully, in the semifinal, one or two players can rise to the occasion again,” she added.

“After this match, it’s crucial to move on quickly while still reflecting on our mistakes, such as being caught on the inside edge. Nonetheless, it’s essential to let it go and look forward. Tomorrow will be about analyzing what we could have improved tonight and then immediately focusing on the semifinal. Perhaps this loss is precisely what we needed to motivate ourselves,” Wolvaardt said.

As they prepare to face England in the semifinal—against whom they previously collapsed for just 69 runs in their tournament opener—the opening batter is ready to take on the challenge and aims to secure a spot in the final this time. “Not really—there’s no point in dwelling on that. We’re excited to play England. We are somewhat accustomed to meeting them in semifinals at World Cups, so we hope to come out victorious this time,” she concluded.