Nadine de Klerk happy with Australia warm-up despite defeat

The Aussies batted first and posted 212 in their 20 overs, which was a tall order for South Africa in their chase, amassing only 127 with six wickets down.

De Klerk says they were undone by one big partnership by their opponents and should not read too much into the result ahead of the tournament.

The two sides will face off in their first match of the tournament on June 13 at Old Trafford in Manchester, and de Klerk believes the unusual warm-up against the same team was important in order to know what they’re up against. 

She says they’re now able to match the former champions unlike a few years ago, which is a major boost for their confidence.

"You probably want to get rid of the nerves here. We all know what they're about, and I think we've changed a lot as well over the last couple of years. Our team has really come a long way and I think it's going to be a really good contest."

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She says while they’ve been working hard in the nets in the last couple of weeks, the best way to prepare for a major competition like this is actually testing themselves against the best in the world.

While they could not get going with the bat despite captain Laura Wolvaardt scoring 47, de Klerk has full confidence in their batting order to negotiate the slower wickets. She says not every pitch is going to give them a high score, and they need to work with what they have.

"Sometimes it's just about understanding that it might not be a 180 wicket sometimes, but I think our batting lineup is balanced and it should work quite well even if the wicket is quite slow.

"We've spent a lot of time in the sub-continent against those teams, and we've played a lot of matches in South Africa where it was on the slow side as well, so I think we're well prepared for whatever comes our way, but it's just about keeping that positive intent."