SA want to avoid 'overthinking' and 'just get that first W'

That's South Africa 's strategy as they begin their uphill climb to push for a place in the semi-finals of the Women's T20 World Cup 2026 after losing heavily to Australia in their opener. The 65-run defeat means that not only are they likely to have to beat India or hope Australia do so,. they also have to win their other matches by significant margins. Considering the tournament is only five days old, to face such immense pressure could easily leave the team despondent. But Jafta is making sure that doesn't happen.

"I sat down with coach [Mandla Mashimbyi] before, and he literally said, 'Your energy is going to be gold. It's going to be key'," Jafta said at Edgbaston, where South Africa will play Pakistan on Wednesday. "I never want to see someone go through something alone, because we are a team and we are a collective. So I could say that potentially my role is to ensure that everyone is in a positive frame of mind."

South Africa looked in good spirits at their Tuesday evening training session. where most of their squad enjoyed some football while the bowlers immediately got going on their skills. Among them was Shabnim Ismail, who took a blow to the finger against Australia. even left the field at one stage, but was bowling on the practice pitch.

"She's tough. Don't worry about her," Jafta said. "She's someone that will put up with it. She wears her heart on her sleeve. The team will always come first. What's a finger? Just go with it."

The appearance of being able to come back from anything is something South Africa have built their sporting reputation on. But they came into this tournament on what they thought was the front foot,. even considered themselves favourites against Australia, which must have made the loss more galling.

Jafta said Mashimbyi encouraged them to "reflect" in the immediate aftermath. now to refocus with their mind on one thing: "Simplicity," Jafta said. "You tend to overthink, and you think too far ahead. If anything, that game just brought us back. For me, it's never a loss, it's always a lesson. That's how I deal with every situation."

Regarding the specific problem of their batting order and whether they have settled on a No. 3 and 4, Jafta indicated it remains flexible. She also emphasised. there is no confusion despite Nadine de Klerk saying she was "not sure" why she was put in at No.4.

"We speak on trust, right? For us as a team, we trust the coach's call - and we're very versatile," Jafta said. "We had Dane [van Niekerk] and Tazmin [Brits] not playing. Those are people that can also filter in. So if you're going to say we're going to have the same XI. I think my coach, knowing him, will just giggle. For us, it's to just know at any point, the coach might just say 'go in'. And you've done the 'Go out there and express yourself'. He's always been that type of person where you do the work and you flourish and have fun with it."

Pakistan, meanwhile, were more specific about their issues after a similarly chastening loss against India on Sunday. They lost by 64 runs, four fewer than what Smriti Mandhana scored after she was dropped twice. Mandhana was put down on 27 by Aliya Riaz, who backpedalled from mid-off to get to the ball. got herself in a decent position to catch it but it popped out.

Mandhana was dropped again on 55 after sending the ball to Saira Jabeen at deep midwicket. where Jabeen opted for a reverse-cup technique. The ball burst through her hands and went for six.

Ahead of facing South Africa, Pakistan spent about 40 minutes of their session on fielding drills, especially high catches. Riaz. Jabeen, who did put down one sitter each, were tested with particularly tough chances as Pakistan look to improve that aspect of their game.

"When you come to these conditions, the high catches are very important. So we are focusing on flat catches. high catches," Imran Farhat, former national player who is now the Pakistan women's batting coach, said.

Their other focus is power-hitting after they managed ten fours but no sixes against India, who hit 19 fours. four sixes at this venue. Farhat suggested Pakistan will make more of an effort to go big with the likes of Natalia Pervaiz, Jabeen. Riaz in the middle order.

"Once the powerplay is finished, we are not worried about keeping wickets [in hand]. We are worried about maintaining the run rate as required," Farhat said. "We have enough strength. We can afford one or two wickets, but we must make sure that the run rate keeps going. Unfortunately, in the last match, we lost four or five wickets, but our focus is to play positive cricket."

South Africa would say the same. especially given as they play catch up in a bid to push for a semi-final spot. Their net run rate sits at -3.250,. so big wins are a necessity and Jafta knows it, but just wants to see wins first.

"For us now, it's to literally just get that first W. We usually say it's runs on the board [that we need]. so I'm going to say it's points on the board," she said. "Yes, the net run rate is quite low for us at the moment, but I think we need to just focus. not really worry about it. This next game is the most important game that we're going to play in this World Cup."