Sune Luus focused as Proteas Women eye England clash

Sune Luus knows all about World Cup pressure, having been entrusted with the Proteas’ captaincy on the eve of the last tournament after Dane van Niekerk suffered a freak accident.

There was little time to dwell on the responsibility, and Luus simply had to lead a Proteas side packed with senior players such as Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Mignon du Preez, Trisha Chetty, Masabata Klaas and Lizelle Lee.

Having made her debut as a 16-year-old in 2012, Luus commanded the respect of her peers and guided the Proteas to consecutive semi-final appearances against England. The all-rounder developed into the role superbly, her measured leadership style complementing Van Niekerk’s more combative approach.

Under Luus, the Proteas reached their first-ever T20 World Cup final the following year.

Luus has since stepped down, with her close friend Laura Wolvaardt taking over the captaincy. This has allowed her to ease into the 2025 edition, which began on Tuesday with the opener between co-hosts India and Sri Lanka.

She was in excellent form in the final warm-up match against Pakistan on Sunday, striking a fluent unbeaten half-century and contributing valuable overs. Luus feels there is little more that can be done to prepare the Proteas for their upcoming clash with England on Friday.

“Yeah, to be honest, there's nothing you can change now,” Luus said.

“I think it's just getting your mental space ready as much as you can. Fresh minds and fresh bodies will be the most important thing. We’ve hit so many balls and bowled so many balls.

"If you don’t know it now, you’ll never know. It’s like the night before an exam.

“But no, it’s just really about getting your minds ready, trying to get into your zone, looking ahead to England, and making sure we’re as prepared as we can be from a tactical and strategic point of view, and making sure we’re fresh.”

Luus believes the team has evolved since their last World Cup in New Zealand, with a new head coach, Mandla Mashimbyi, and a revamped support staff including batting coach Baakier Abrahams and bowling coach Dillon du Preez.

“Obviously, it’s a four-year cycle since the last ODI World Cup. Once a tournament is done, you already look ahead to the next one. There’s been change in management, a new head coach coming in, and a few things we’ve been working on.

“But I think the team knows what the goals are. We know what we want to do and the brand we want to play. For the first half of the tournament, at least, the wickets will be conducive to that brand.

"Every match is going to be crucial. There are no easy matches, no walkovers, so every game will require elite focus and performance from everyone," Luus concluded.