Sinalo Jafta says the Proteas Women are determined to deliver a much-improved performance when they face New Zealand in Indore on Monday.

South Africa are looking to bounce back from a 10-wicket loss to England in their opening match of the Women’s ODI World Cup.

Speaking at Sunday’s pre-match press conference, Jafta said the team had quickly shifted focus to rectifying their mistakes.

“We always knew coming into a tournament like this, games like that can happen. Laura [Wolvaardt] said it perfectly – we don’t become a bad batting unit overnight. Homework was done, and now we’re just looking forward to the next one.”

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The wicketkeeper-batter, who top-scored with 22 in Guwahati, praised England’s execution but insisted the Proteas had moved on.

“You can’t take away the smarts from England – they had a plan and executed it. It just wasn’t a good day out, but we’re not going to dwell on that. We’ve acknowledged what didn’t work and are focused on the next game.”

South Africa now face the reigning Women’s T20 World Cup champions, who beat them in last year’s final. The White Ferns have won 12 of 20 ODIs between the sides, but the Proteas Women claimed a 2-1 home series win when they last met in 2023.

Jafta said South Africa would need to be disciplined with the ball and smart in Indian conditions.

“We know as a bowling unit we have to be really disciplined in our lines. You’ve got players like Amelia Kerr, Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine who’ve played for a long time – and younger talents like Georgia Plimmer and Maddy Green – so we can’t underestimate anyone.”

She added that the Proteas’ preparation in similar conditions would be an advantage.

“We’ve been playing in these conditions in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. We’ve faced all these deliveries in the nets – now it’s about going out there and executing.”

The match at Holkar Stadium starts at 11:30 (SA time).

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