Proteas captain Sune Luus says the team will not dwell on their disappointing six-wicket defeat to powerhouses Australia as they focus on their must-win final group game and semifinal qualification for the Women’s T20 World Cup. Despite strong starts to their batting and bowling innings against the reigning world champions in Gqeberha on Saturday night, South Africa could not get the win that would have kept their World Cup destiny in their own hands. But they were thrown a reprieve when New Zealand unexpectedly beat Sri Lanka on Sunday evening. The Proteas, who have two points in group 1 and superior net run rate to the White Ferns, will go level on four with NZ and qualify for the knockout stages if they beat Bangladesh at Newlands on Tuesday. After racing to 41 for no loss in the opening six overs, SA were pegged back by some disciplined Aussie bowling to reach a paltry 124/6 after Tasmin Brits top-scored for the hosts with 45 runs off 36 deliveries. In reply, the Proteas shook the Aussie foundations by having them 40/3 in the seventh over before Tahlia McGrath notched a half-century, sharing 81 runs for the fourth wicket with Ash Gardner to lead them to a six-wicket win with 23 deliveries to spare. “We still have a game to play on Tuesday and I think we’re much focused on that. It’s our last game, so I think we’re 100% going to leave everything on that field and give it our all,” Luus said. She said the regular loss of wickets, some at crucial times in the contest, did not help South Africa's cause. “I think that kind of broke the momentum for us, and we couldn’t really adjust after that and get to that big score we wanted to. “I felt they bowled a lot of good lanes. They hit the wicket hard and even the spinners didn’t really give us much room or bowled it in the slots. “It was some average batting and then some good bowling too, but good to see them and how they went about the innings. ” While commending her bowlers for the fast start in front of a boisterous St George’s Park crowd, Luus said it was a typical Aussie performance in terms of how they managed to dig themselves out of trouble. “I guess that’s classic Australia. I think most teams can have them against the wall, then you have those stars coming in afterwards and getting that clinical performance. ” On the atmosphere created by Gqeberha's famous cricket supporters and that the South Africans have experienced in Paarl and Cape Town, Luus the team has been was overwhelmed by the level of support. “It was amazing. I think I said at the first match, it was one of the first times I really got emotional at the anthem. I think just to have all the support in SA at the moment, everywhere we go, it’s been absolutely phenomenal, and I’m hoping it continues whether we play World Cups or not. ” After their defeat to England on Saturday, India will look bounce back in their final group 2 clash against Ireland in Gqeberha on Monday (3pm). After wins against Pakistan and West Indies to start their campaign, the Indians were pegged back by a spirited England who claimed a nail-biting 11-run victory. Ireland, who have yet to register a win in the tournament and are bottom of the group with three defeats, will be hoping to end their tournament on a high by claiming victory over one of the tournament favourites. Should England and India emerge victorious from their final matches against Pakistan and Ireland respectively, they will end one and two in the group. However, if Pakistan manages to upset the English and West Indies, they could sneak through ahead of India on net run rate. Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times . Just R20 for the first month. .