But her efforts were in vain, as the team ultimately lost by 23 runs, ending any hopes of making Sunday’s final in Colombo.

Having been set a massive target of 338 for victory, SA fell short yet again with stand-in captain Chloe Tryon the second highest scorer with 67.  

Speaking immediately after the match, Dercksen was disappointed to not have gone a bit further.

"Yeah, I think ultimately it doesn't mean much if we still lost. I think the last couple of games I sort of been saying that we sort of got out at a crucial stage," Dercksen said. 

"So, again, disappointed that we didn't get to kick on, but I think it's a valuable experience going into possibly next games and I will have a look with our batting coach and see where we can get those 1% better and hopefully finish off some games for SA."

Dercksen lamented the small margins that cost them the match, although they did manage to score over 300 runs.

The last time that happened was in June 2024, against the same Indian team.

"I think again we came pretty close with a very big score so there's some positives to take out of it. I think we're not done, we probably lost it again in small little moments," she added.

"So, yeah, just reflecting on it and looking at those moments and where we can be better, just fixing it in the next game but I think all in all the team is in a pretty good space."  

The 24-year-old, who was named the 2024 International Cricket Council Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year, says she is always eager to get to the middle and perform at her best for the country. 

--SABC--