When it comes to World Cups, no-one in the Proteas squad has seen more, and laughed or cried as much as Chloe Tryon, who is embarking on her fourth tournament in India.
Her first was in the same country 12 years ago as a 19-year-old. SA were knocked out in the group stage, winning just one match, against Pakistan, though they did drag eventual champions Australia into a fight before losing narrowly by three wickets.
That experience, with bitter disappointments in England four years later and in New Zealand in 2022, has hardened Tryon’s resolve and made her and the rest of the senior players in the squad — including Marizanne Kapp, who is playing in a fifth ODI World Cup — even more motivated this year.
“We came up short in the T20s, but the hard work, the grit everyone has shown behind the scenes — you can see how much everyone wants this World Cup,” said the 31-year-old all-rounder ahead of Friday’s opener against England at Barsapara Cricket Ground in Guwahati.
The Proteas are an experienced group, with only five of the 15 players participating in their first World Cup. Yet, there is still something of an unknown element about the Proteas, who, in the past 10 months, since head coach Mandla Mashimbyi took over, have mixed and matched starting teams.
It has meant their record in that time lacks consistency: six wins and four defeats in the ODIs they have played this year. But Mashimbyi has built a batting unit that is better balanced than in previous iterations, notably adding depth and not making the team as reliant on the top order as was the case at the previous World Cup.
“We bat really deep, and that allows us to form partnerships at the back end if we collapse at the top of the order,” said Tryon.
“The batting unit has made a lot of strides in the last few months, and you can see there is a big difference in our approach. We’ve seen scores of over 300, and whether we bat or bowl first, we want to show really good intent as a batting unit.”
The Proteas start their campaign against an England who are under enormous pressure at home after poor showings in the past two big events: last year’s T20 World Cup, in which they crashed out in the group phase, and last season’s Women’s Ashes, at which they failed to win a match.
They have appointed the legendary Charlotte Edwards, who has made several controversial changes, as head coach. However Tryon, who has spent five years facing and playing alongside many of the England players in The Hundred tournament, knows the depth of talent at their disposal.
“They are led by one of the best all-rounders in the world; everyone feeds off her,” Tryon said of Nat Sciver-Brunt.
“They are all match winners. We have to be sharp, show a lot of presence and make sure we are really positive.”
SA’s record recently against England makes for ugly reading, with just one win in the past seven ODIs between the teams. That is not something Tryon feels is important to Friday’s clash.
“There is a lot of pressure on everyone in an opening game. For us it is important to make sure we are present in the moment.”
It means the senior players, like Tryon, bear extra responsibility.
“As a senior group we want to lead the way for the team. It’s important to keep everyone together in a tight unit.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.