All-round athlete Anneke Bosch of the Proteas team demonstrated a significant improvement in her ball-playing skills during her visit to Zimbabwe. Although Bosch is better known for her batting abilities, the Proteas Women player is pleased with the progress in her second skill.
During the first two T20I matches against Zimbabwe, Bosch was an outstanding batter, scoring two half-centuries. However, on Sunday, in the match that ended with a Proteas victory by 64 runs in Bulawayo, she also took 2/5 wickets.
PROTEAS WOMEN TOUR OF ZIMBABWE
A notable aspect of Bosch's game is her transition from seam bowling to off-spin bowling. Bosch shared that this transition occurred about two years ago. She explained that due to injuries while seam bowling, she played fewer matches.
"I just thought it wasn't worth the effort, especially with the injuries. I almost stopped playing completely, and then, after some time, I decided to try off-spin," Bosch shared. She added that she enjoys playing in training sessions because it allows her to take a break from batting and other aspects of the game. Although she did not expect the opportunity to play in a match, she found it interesting and looks forward to further development in this area.
The Proteas Women team has two left-arm spinners—Nonkululeko Mlabu and Chloe Tryon—but for a long time, they had been looking for a specialist off-spinner. Even former leg-spinner Sune Luus converted to off-spin, but this experiment did not yield the desired results.
Bosch hopes that her bowling skills will help her in the future when the Proteas Women squad is fully formed. This is particularly relevant after the disappointment associated with missing the last Women's T20 World Cup in the UK earlier this year. She has also actively worked on improving her batting to remain in the spotlight.
"Undoubtedly, missing the Women's T20 World Cup was disappointing. But I am putting in the effort, and I am pleased to see that it is now paying off. How you approach the game and what processes you have are sometimes more important than the skills themselves. I am satisfied with my mindset and process at the moment," noted Bosch. She emphasized the importance of maintaining composure and reacting to the game, noting that one must start from scratch after every match.