'A very difficult pool, but hopefully we can make semi-finals' - Laura Wolvaardt on South Africa's chances in Women's T20 World Cup 2024

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt said that her team has what it takes to make it to the semi-finals of the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup 2024. However, she is looking to focus on one match at a time. South Africa are set to begin their campaign on Friday, October 4, as they lock horns with the West Indies at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

The Proteas made it to the finals of the previous edition of the Women's T20 World Cup last year in front of their home fans. This was a monumental achievement for South Africa as they had reached their first-ever World Cup final in any format. They eventually lost to Australia in the finals but received a lot of adulation for their performance during the tournament.

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This year, the Rainbow Nation is pitted with teams like the West Indies, Bangladesh, England, and Scotland in Group B. Wolvaardt said that her team's first target will be to make it to the knockout stage of the marquee event.

"I think T20 cricket is such a fickle format. I think obviously last year , last time was great, but we're just looking to take it one game at a time. Obviously a very difficult pool, but hopefully we can make semi-finals and then anything can happen from that," Wolvaardt said as quoted by the ICC.

Every series you play, every training session you have is towards that goal of a World Cup: Hayley Matthews

Meanwhile, talismanic West Indies captain Hayley Matthews said that her team has been preparing to do well in the World Cup for a very long time. In 2023, the Caribbean side failed to progress to the knockouts. They would want to forget the previous debacle and come out all guns blazing in the UAE.

"Every series you play, every training session you have is towards that goal of a World Cup, so definitely is a long process, and I think this is one that as a West Indies team, we've had in our sights for a very long time," West Indies captain Hayley Matthews said.

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The West Indies have a 14-7 lead in the head-to-head scorecard against South Africa in the shortest format of the game. However, past records won't be of much significance when the two teams cross swords on Friday.