Proteas Women's skippewr Lauru Wolvaardt celebrates her half-century in the first T20I against India in Durban on Friday night.
Image: Cricket SA
Ayabonga Khaka kept her message straightforward after delivering a decisive performance to guide the Proteas Women to victory over India in the opening T20I of the series in Durban on Friday night.
Named player of the match for her tidy 3/16 in four overs in restricting a powerful Indian battling lineup to 157/7, which SA chased down with five balls to spare, Khaka pointed to collective preparation rather than individual brilliance as the key to her impact.
“I think, to be honest, we’ve been preparing well as a side,” she said afterwards. “Today it was all about us coming here and executing as a bowling unit. From New Zealand, some days it didn’t go well for us, but today we just wanted to be simple.”
That simplicity translated into discipline with the ball, as Khaka stuck to her strengths rather than overanalysing conditions, despite India batter Jemimah Rodrigues noting that the wicket had been "sticky" at times.
“I was just trying to bowl my line and length at that time. I didn’t really notice too much about the wicket,” Khaka explained.
South Africa’s decision to bowl first under lights, with dew expected later, was also part of a clear tactical plan.
“We knew the conditions as a team. We wanted to make sure that we bowl first and then chase. The girls did well to chase the score, and we understood what we wanted to do at the toss,” she said.
The win comes off the back of a short turnaround from a challenging tour of New Zealand, but Khaka believes the squad used that time effectively.
“It was a short time, something we’re not used to, but the last three days we had tough sessions with bat, ball and fielding. We knew what went wrong in New Zealand, and today was about improving on those things.”
Looking ahead to the remainder of the five-match series, Khaka emphasised consistency and long-term goals over immediate results.
“We trust our processes. At the end of the day we’re preparing for the World Cup. After this series we should know what works for us and what doesn’t.”
As for any talk of revenge after last year’s World Cup final defeat, Khaka downplayed the narrative.
“The World Cup was the World Cup. We know they’re a powerful team. They always bounce back, but we just back ourselves to be committed to every team we play.”
She also expects minimal adjustment for Sunday’s day game at Kingsmead.
“I think we’ve practised in all conditions and understand what is needed. We’ll assess, but it’s the same pitch, so we’ll see what it offers at the time,” she concluded.