A year after their dramatic semi-final, Cape Town will be on the minds of both teams when England take on South Africa in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
Last year, on home soil, the Proteas women reached the finals for the first time with a six-point victory over England at Newlands.
Now, the two teams will play against each other again, but this time it will be in Group B, with both teams having one win and one loss for the United Arab Emirates.
A second success would be a big step towards a top-four spot, but England are well aware of how close it was last February.
Lindsay Smith, who made a rematch to be part of the England squad after being away from the team for five years, admitted the team had been talking a lot about the semi-final defeat.
She said: “Obviously there’s been a lot of talk about that game, and I think the girls learned a lot from it.
“We’re just looking forward to playing them again in the World Cup. Obviously they had a really strong win the other day, so we’re going to really take them into the fight and hopefully get another win. We have to do our best again.”
Smith last appeared in this competition in 2018 and has not featured for England since 2019.
However, coach John Lewis was sufficiently impressed by her form domestically that he recalled Smith. Smith came on in the second half against Bangladesh and had 2 hits in 11 in a 21-run victory.
And while there were times when she wondered if she would ever get back to this point, Smith never gave up on her dreams.
Furthermore, she added: “That was six years ago and I think now it’s been a very long time. I think having some time away from the England system has helped me grow, do a lot of self-reflection and learn more about myself. I think it helped me think about how I wanted to play the game.
“It was tough, but I always wanted to do a bit of justice to myself by putting on an England shirt. I felt like I didn’t play very well six years ago, so I wanted to do that again at the World Cup. I’m glad I got the chance.”
England take on a South African team brimming with confidence following their opening match win over the West Indies.
Chasing 119, skipper Laura Wolvaardt and opening partner Tazmin Blitz both scored unbeaten half-centuries with 10 wicket successes.
And for the Brits, who have won back-to-back golden ducks in warm-up matches, the challenge ahead will be to deal with England’s slow bowlers, including Smith.
She said: “If you don’t have pace on the ball it’s very difficult to get to the boundary and some fields are actually a bit slow so technically that’s the best way to go but that’s why we We are preparing for that,” he said.
“We definitely watched that game (England vs Bangladesh) and I think the wicket looked even slower than the Dubai week we actually played.
“So we had that in mind and of course it was night so there were lights around the stadium and we had heard that the lighting could be a little difficult.
“As everyone knows, it’s always a tough game (against England), but we don’t want to leave it until the last game. Of course, if we can make sure we win all the games, we guarantee a place in the semi-finals. ideal for.”
