Their body language told the tale, as did player of the match Tazmin Brits’ tone.
Sure, the Proteas beat Bangladesh and, by any conventional gauge, they did so convincingly.
But that it wasn’t enough to secure their spot in the World Cup semifinal has left them nervous.
The door is ajar for the West Indies and the Proteas know that in Deandra Dottin — the self-described “World Boss” — the Windies have a match winner who can rip their World Cup dreams away from them.
The worst part is there is nothing they can do except watch.
England vs the West Indies in Dubai on Tuesday will determine SA’s fate in the tournament.
It was always going to be the case, regardless of them beating Bangladesh as they did on Saturday night, but that they didn’t do so with a big enough margin has left the players feeling flat.
“We are happy we won the game; that was the main goal,” Brits said. “I don’t want to say too much — it will play out the way it should be.”
She said the team would watch Tuesday’s match together, but did not want to reveal who the Proteas would be rooting for.
They will be backing England.
From an SA perspective, it is good that England will have something to play for.
A West Indies win on Tuesday would put three teams on six points and bring the net run rate into the equation, which is where the West Indies have an advantage over SA.
A loss for England could see their net run rate take a hit, which would leave them in danger of dropping to third in the group and missing out on the final four.
Heather Knight’s side will want to keep the equation simple for themselves.
Meanwhile SA face an anxious wait.
The players were set to take time off on Sunday, but Brits said they would then begin preparations for a semifinal on Monday.
Saturday night’s seven-wicket win against Bangladesh, with 16 balls to spare, was a far-from-polished display.
Once more the bowlers dished up too many wides — 11 just a few days after conceding eight against the Scots.
“A couple of the bowlers were trying things, there were a lot of slower balls, and they weren’t bowling wicket to wicket and that gave them a release.
“We could have stuck to the basics better,” Brits said.
Doing so would have meant chasing less than the 107 they had to knock off — which created more challenges with the net run rate.
The pace off the pitch was extremely slow and the way Bangladesh’s spinners operated exacerbated those conditions.
“It wasn’t easy for batting,” Brits, who top-scored with 42 off 41 balls, said.
“We should have cashed in during the power play while the ball was still nice and new.
“They do bowl slower than other teams, so the ball wasn’t bouncing and coming through.”
It left her frustrated: “I don’t want my strike rate to be 100 or less, I want to get to 140, because when we make 45 to 60 in the power play, that sets up the entire game.
“It’s not always easy for batters on a surface like this to hit fours and sixes... you saw that with Chloe and Kappy, who needed to hit [into] pockets [of space] and had to run hard.
“That’s difficult. I’m happy I’m making runs and contributing for the team, but I don’t think I’ll be truly happy until I get that strike rate up,” Brits said.
