🏏ICC Women's T20I WC 2024: Group B - Match 20: EngW vs WIW 🏏 - Page 27

What they said:

"Dubai played a bit better, I feel. This [Sharjah pitch] felt a bit two-paced and it felt like they bowled real straight, set straight fields and it was just hard to score and hard to get it away. The outfield here was also very, very slow so you don't really get value for runs. I feel like it was a bit better at Dubai getting value for your shots" - Laura Wolvaardt, South Africa captain.

"We are here to compete; we are here to play cricket and competitive cricket but we're also here to learn. A lot of our girls have come up against world-class players and yeah, it's an exciting prospect to be here and even more exciting if we can take some learnings away from it and put it into our own games" - Lorna Jack-Brown.

Scotland squad: Kathryn Bryce (capt), Chloe Abel, Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Olivia Bell, Sarah Bryce (wk), Darcey Carter, Priyanaz Chatterji, Katherine Fraser, Saskia Horley, Lorna Jack, Ailsa Lister, Abtaha Maqsood, Megan McColl, Hannah Rainey, Rachel Slater

South Africa squad: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon

Tournament form guide: Scotland's maiden T20 World Cup appearance hasn't gone to plan so far with two back-to-back losses. They started their tournament with a 16-run defeat against Bangladesh, before going down heavily to West Indies by six wickets and 50 balls to spare. South Africa are also coming into this game on the back of a seven-wicket loss against England which saw them slip to third on the points table. Their ten-wicket win against West Indies, though, has kept their net run rate (NRR) relatively healthy.

News brief: There are no major injury concerns in either camp, though it remains to be seen how South Africa manage the players' workload considering a less-than-48 hours turnaround time after their game against England was a day-night affair in Sharjah on Monday. Scotland are bottom placed on the group B points table, and with an NRR of -1.897, a loss against South Africa will most certainly end their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals. South Africa, on the other hand, can leapfrog England and secure top spot with a big win in Dubai. This is the first time South Africa and Scotland will face-off in any format in women's cricket. Heat is once again going to be a factor in the day game in Dubai, with temperatures likely to touch 38 degrees Celsius.

Player to watch: Nonkululeko Mlaba is currently the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with five wickets and could once again be South Africa's trump card, especially in the day game where the ball is expected to turn more. Mlaba picked a four-wicket haul the last time she played in Dubai - against West Indies, earlier in this World Cup - and will want a repeat of that performance.

Thank you Raji for tagging me.

It is South Africa versus Scotland. Scotland can gain and gain and gain from this contest, without really worrying about what will happen if they lose. For South Africa, though, this is a proper banana skin. They know they cannot step on it and slip. If they do, their semi-final hopes will transfer from their hands to fate.

But do you know what will hasten that process? Two points. Two points against the mighty South Africa. And two points that will keep them still in the hunt for an unprecedented semi-final berth.

Scotland find themselves in a vastly different moment. This is their first time mixing it with the top teams at the Women's T20 World Cup. They may, thus, not be under as much pressure to win every game, and all of these experiences, even if they have been slightly chastening, will ultimately make them a better cricketing nation.

One step forward, one step back - the story of South Africa's Women's T20 World Cup campaign so far. But the thing about backward steps is that they sometimes offer more perspective than moving forward does, and having been outwitted by England on Monday, South Africa will feel they are now more aware of what works and more importantly, of what definitely doesn't and needs tweaking.

It's a double-header day at the T20 World Cup today. First up South Africa will take on Scotland followed by a crunch game between India and Sri Lanka. Both games to be played in Dubai and expect conditions to be quite sultry. For Scotland, it is a must-win game in order to stay in contention for the semis. Remember, they lost both their games so far, against Bangladesh and West Indies respectively.