00:01Laura, congratulations on making to the semi-finals of what has been probably the most open World Cup yet.
00:07So excited are you to play the semi-finals and how big a challenge Cingland is going to pose at
00:12home?
00:13Yeah, super excited. I think what's exciting about it is we've made the semis and we probably haven't even been
00:20at our best as a team yet.
00:21I think we've found a way to win games, which has been good. Been on the winning side more often
00:27than not.
00:29And yeah, super excited to play tomorrow. I think I know it'll be a pretty sold-out crowd supporting the
00:34opposition.
00:35So it'll be a nice challenge for us. But yeah, getting to play the hosts in a tournament is always
00:40pretty exciting.
00:42I think they'll have a bit more pressure on them with all of that support. So hopefully we can put
00:47together a good game of cricket.
00:49And looking back at the campaign so far, what are the things do you think that really worked for you
00:54and maybe the ideas that you may have to work a bit more on?
00:58I think our bowling has been pretty good. I think different phases and different games.
01:03But I think having Kappi and Shibi up early in the power play has been a big boost for us.
01:09Been able to strike early in the power play. And then I think in the middle in death overs, we've
01:13been able to sort of really keep teams quiet.
01:15I think we had a number of games where even if they did get off to a decent start, we
01:19were able to bring it back nicely.
01:22With the bat, we probably haven't been at 100%. I think all of our batters will admit they'd like to
01:29score a bit more runs.
01:31But I think it's a good thing and a pretty exciting thing because when they do come off, hopefully in
01:37the next game, it'll be a pretty good game.
01:45So, yeah, just a couple of, I mean, a lot of these wins that have come against Pakistan, Bangladesh, it
01:52became a little difficult towards the end.
01:54How do you sort of address that kind of a concern with the team moving into these knockouts where there
02:00might be tougher oppositions heading?
02:03Yeah, a little bit frustrating in those games. Well, we probably could have gotten over the line a bit easier.
02:09But I think at the end of the day, we won. We got the points in the bag and we're
02:13moving forward.
02:15We have definitely chatted about it, though, that if we do find ourselves in a similar position to maybe kill
02:20the game earlier.
02:21I think we're blessed with a lot of power in our lineup.
02:25So we sort of have that opportunity to go a bit harder earlier.
02:29And, yeah, maybe tomorrow at the Oval suits us a bit better. Maybe we're able to finish it better.
02:34And just a curiosity about Dani, the bowler.
02:38We haven't seen much of her. Any reason that she's not been bowling lately?
02:43Dani?
02:44Yeah.
02:45Oh, Dani.
02:47No, she's not bowling at the moment.
02:49Yeah, so she's just a batter for this tournament.
02:54Hi, Laura. Can I just ask you about your own batting?
02:56A couple of scores in the 40s, one of them against Australia.
02:59Do you feel like you're due for a bigger one than that in the big game?
03:04I hope so.
03:06Yeah, probably a bit annoyed with my tournament because I felt like I was in pretty good form coming into
03:10the competition.
03:11And then had a couple of frustrating knocks, maybe just trying to hit it a bit too hard.
03:16But I guess that's just the pressure of a World Cup is it's hard to stay super calm and chilled.
03:23But, yeah, hopefully I'm able to do it tomorrow.
03:25I think it's not like I've forgotten out to bat.
03:27I think it's just maybe one or two things haven't gone my way and then got a bit frustrated in
03:32the middle.
03:32So I think just need to stay nice and calm tomorrow and maybe one or two nice shots and then
03:37I'm back.
03:38So, yeah.
03:39You guys are very experienced at getting through semifinals at big tournaments now.
03:43What are you drawing from those past experiences for this one?
03:47Yeah, I think we've been able to beat England twice in knockout phases in World Cups.
03:53So it's not like it's super foreign territory for us.
03:57I think we can sort of beat anyone on the day when we play some very good cricket.
04:02So just trying to think back to those tournaments, what we did well in those semifinals, what sort of mindset
04:06we were in.
04:07But I think this is a team that really is able to rise to the big occasions.
04:12So, yeah, hopefully everyone's at their best tomorrow.
04:16Hi, Laura.
04:18Just leading on from that, what memories do you have of that semifinal at Newlands back in 2023?
04:23And how can you kind of use that to fuel you and your team tomorrow?
04:27Yeah, probably one of the more special games in my career.
04:31Obviously, being from Cape Town, that was a really cool day.
04:34Had all my family and friends in the crowd.
04:35And to be able to make finals for the first time was super special.
04:41And, yeah, our team hasn't changed too much since then.
04:44So we've got a lot of people that are able to draw back on that experience.
04:48Yeah, I think it should just give us confidence knowing that we've done it before.
04:52So, yeah, hopefully we can do it again.
04:55And we've just heard from Natsa Verbrunt that she will be back for England tomorrow.
04:59Does that make life harder for you guys?
05:02I guess so.
05:03I guess as a captain, it's always hard to plan for her.
05:08I think she's a world-class batter and is able to hit really weird areas.
05:11And setting a field is quite hard for her.
05:14So, yeah, I think we'll just have to prep well.
05:17Hopefully we're able to keep her quiet.
05:19But, yeah, they're a world-class side.
05:21I think it's going to be pretty hard to plan for all of their players.
05:24But hopefully we're able to come out on top tomorrow.
05:26Thanks.
05:32Laura, would you be happy if Natsa got a sub-fielder if she was to get injured again tomorrow?
05:41I don't know.
05:43If they are fielding first, then I wouldn't mind because then she can't bat.
05:47So, then it's fine.
05:51Similar kind of parallels actually to your 50-over World Cup campaign last year where the first match was a
05:56little bit of a write-off for the team.
05:58Can you talk about, I suppose, the resilience of the group coming back from such a heavy defeat like you
06:03have done last year and now coming up at this tournament as well?
06:06Yeah, I don't know why we keep doing it to ourselves, starting with a really bad game.
06:11It's something we have addressed as well.
06:12I think we like to start World Cups with a loss and then kind of put ourselves under pressure near
06:17the back end.
06:18But, yeah, I think the good thing is that we find a way to show better resilience and to end
06:23up making the semis.
06:25Hopefully, we're able to do that tomorrow again.
06:28But, yeah, I think having won all of our games in a row after that shows a bit of consistency,
06:34which is probably what we've been searching for the last couple of seasons.
06:37I think we're a side that can be quite up and down.
06:40So, just to win a couple of games in a row against decent opposition was good and hopefully we're able
06:45to do it for two more games.
06:46And you talked about the 2023 semifinal team being quite similar to the one now two years on.
06:52But there's probably an argument that the team's a little bit stronger, maybe with the death over from a batting
06:57point of view, the likes of Kayla and Nadine coming into our own.
07:01Does that feel kind of like the missing jigsaw piece in a winning South African campaign?
07:07I hope so.
07:08Yeah, I think you're right.
07:09I think our bowling is pretty much the same, but we've got a bit more power to add to the
07:13batting.
07:13I think it's been something that since Coach Mundler has joined has been a big focus of ours is that
07:18power game.
07:19And we've done a lot of power hitting and we have a lot of young talent that are just really
07:25good at it.
07:26Like you said, Kayla and Nadine, Chloe, Dirksen, I think they all just possess a lot of power naturally.
07:33So, yeah, maybe that's what we need to finally get over the line.
07:37And I think to just use it wisely to maybe stack them throughout the innings that we're able to keep
07:43going in all the different phases.
07:51A lot of with the bat, you had a brilliant series against the Indians back home only a few months
07:56ago.
07:57So how much would you like to carry that for maybe for the knockout stage?
08:01Yeah, that would be great.
08:04Yeah, I think I just need to maybe have a think over the next 24 hours of what went well
08:08for me back then.
08:10Obviously, it's so recent.
08:12It's not like my batting has changed.
08:14It's probably just a bit of a mindset thing.
08:16So, yeah, hopefully I'm able to channel a bit of that against against England tomorrow.
08:21Thank you so much.
08:23Thanks.
