Pakistan bowler Rameen Shamim said on Monday that although the weather was out of their control, the team was trying their best to make the semi-finals ahead of their pivotal South Africa ICC Women’s World Cup encounter on Tuesday.
Monsoon rains in Colombo have seen Pakistan’s last two matches end in washouts against England and New Zealand, respectively, costing the team a chance to pick up more points in their last-four push.
The washed-out New Zealand fixture on Saturday saw South Africa become the second team to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament, with the Green Shirts still searching for their first win.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference in Colombo, Rameen said: “Yeah, obviously, rain is not in our control. We cannot control the weather. Yeah, unfortunately, we are upset because we were up to the mark against England.
“… But we are confident because we played some good cricket in the last two matches. And now we have to play against South Africa and Sri Lanka.”
The off-spinner added that playing a series against South Africa in the lead-up to the World Cup would come in handy going into the Tuesday clash.
“We are really prepared against them because we have played a series against South Africa before this World Cup. So, we know what to do in the next two matches, and our aim is just to win those two matches,” she said.
The Green Shirts played a home series in Lahore in September against the Proteas, where they lost the first two games before beating the visitors in the final ODI on a spin-friendly track.
They also faced each other in a World Cup practice match in Colombo ahead of the tournament itself, where the Proteas won by four wickets.
Although the conditions at the R. Pramedasa Stadium have been seamer-friendly, the pitch has seen turn later in the innings and with the pitches getting older as the tournament progresses — Pakistan will be looking for a spin-friendly pitch like Lahore from last month.
The Pakistan bowler added that although the circumstances for the semis were not in their control, adding, “We just want to win those upcoming matches and just leave our mark.”
South African pacer Masabata Klaas also alluded to the challenge Pakistan posed going into the encounter.
“Oh, obviously Pakistan is [a] strong team. We cannot just go there and think that we’re just going to walk in the park. But then one thing that’s going to work for us is to stick to basics and do what we’ve been doing from day one of the World Cup,” the right-arm medium pacer said.
She added that her side would not be taking the Green Shirts for granted.
The Proteas go into the clash with a result in a rain-affected encounter in Colombo against Sri Lanka — where they won by 10 wickets in a 20-over contest.
For Pakistan, their skipper Fatima Sana’s form with the ball has been a positive going into this must-win encounter. The right-arm pacer has taken nine wickets at an outstanding average of 16 so far.
The Women in Green will also be looking for the weather to relent in the Sri Lankan capital, which caused their pre-match practice session to be moved indoors yet again — at an alternate venue near the Sinhalese Sports Club.
What needs to fire for the Green Shirts is their batting, which again faltered in their stop-start clash against New Zealand — with the scoreline at 92-5 with half their batting innings to go.
A much improved batting performance — and results from the rest of the World Cup matches somehow going in their favour is what the Green Shirts need to sneak past the rains and book a berth in the semi-finals.
from Dawn - Home https://www.dawn.com/news/1950169/weather-out-of-our-control-but-trying-our-best-to-make-the-semis-says-rameen-ahead-of-south-africa-clash