Let's do a blind tasting, but of captains' quotes.
"We're not being hunted, We're out there to go and get it."
"The group really believes that we have the talent in the room to win the tournament."
If you weren't in the room and you know a bit about the history of tournament cricket, you'd probably believe a South African said the first one and an Australian the second. And you would be wrong.
The tables have turned and even though we can only whisper it, the talk is that South Africa might have the edge over serial champions Australia in a T20 World Cup opener for the two sides that could turn into a virtual quarter-final. In a group that also includes India, and with only two teams progressing to the final four, the stakes for the game are as high as it gets and the outcome certainly not as predictable as before.
That's not only because South Africa are the side that ended Australia's title defence at the last T20 World Cup, or that they are the ones who have reached three successive ICC tournament finals, but also because Australia don't hold either of the women's white-ball World Cup titles at the moment and have been in transition. While no one would write them off, they are now seen to be sometimes fallible, considering that they also lost a home T20I series to India.
And it's the sometimes that South Africa are banking on, backed by a coach who has emphasised his lack of experience when it comes to losing over and over again to Australia. Mandla Mashimbyi has only overseen one match against Australia, at last year's ODI World Cup, and even though it was a sobering defeat, South Africa had already qualified for the semi-finals. They went on to play in the final. Australia did not.
Pre-tournament, Mashimbyi called his lack of long history against Australia as being part of the "the beauty," of playing them first, and it seems the South Africans have bought into his philosophy of belief. "The great thing about Mandla is that's sort of the mindset that he has. He believes in us 100%, and it's really nice to have someone reminding us of how good we are so often," Laura Wolvaardt, South Africa's captain, said in Manchester. "I think that's been awesome, as he doesn't really care who we're playing against. He just fully believes if we do what we do well, we can beat any side in the world."
Wolvaardt doesn't deny that Australia are not just any side and understands "they've been the number one side in the world for a very long time", and "we're going to have to play some very good cricket to beat them", but she's also seen her team do it before and has reason to think they can again.
And Australia captain Sophie Molineux agrees. "They've had some success in the last couple of World Cups in getting to finals so I'm sure that they're coming in really confident. We're fully aware that we need to be as sharp as we can be," she said. "South Africa got a really deep batting order, and getting the experience of Shabnim Ismail back, that's a really big boost for them. It's going to be a really good game tomorrow. We know we have to be sharp, and we wouldn't want it any other way."
That Ismail's was the first name that Molineux mentioned speaks to the seamer's reputation, especially in Australia. Ismail is a seasoned campaigner in the WBBL, where she has taken 73 wickets in 80 matches over seven seasons, and announced her return from international retirement with figures of 4 for 39 agianst Australia in a warm-up match in Arundel last week. Whether she will play or not will only be known at the toss but Wolvaardt indicated she has already contributed significantly to the team environment.
"She's been awesome. It sort of feels like she's never left," Wolvaardt said. "She fits in so seamlessly and brings so much energy, and she's quite a loud, bubbly person, so she's been awesome to have around the group again. We'll see about tomorrow, but she's a world-class player, so she'll be pretty vital for us throughout the tournament.
"She's still bowling nice and quick as well, so having her as an option in the powerplay is going to be very nice for me as a captain to have. To have her and [Marizanne] Kapp opening the bowling is going to be awesome in this tournament, so I'm very excited to see how she goes."
While South Africa have brought the band back together, including former captain Dane van Niekerk, Australia have injections of youth in the squad as they slowly move on from their golden generation. With ample depth in the ranks, they've never felt like they were scrambling and now Molineux feels they've hit a "sweet spot" as the tournament approaches.
"We've still got a lot of experience in our team and at the same time we've been able to bring in some really fresh energy as well," she said. "Players like Lucy Hamilton have come in with a fresh set of eyes, and she's been great around the group. To be able to have a generational talent in Ellyse Perry at one end, and then Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland at the other and everything in between, it's been really fun just trying to bring it all together. We've hit a really sweet spot coming into this World Cup, that's for sure."
What her charges don't have is the muscle memory of lifting a trophy together, and for Molineux that presents an opportunity to write their own story. "It gives us a bit of freedom. We're not out here to defend anything. We're not being hunted. We're out there to go and get it," she said. "The group's in a great place to be able to go out there and run towards whatever's in front of us now, rather than just trying to hold on to what we have because we don't hold either of them. Hopefully it really frees us up. Now we can find a new level."
South Africa also don't have experience of lifting a trophy - and in their case they've never had it - but they've inched as close as they can get. They've come in under the radar globally, but are very much in the spotlight at home. They know this time, given the strength of their squad and the expectations of the masses, they're expected not to slip up.
"In previous editions it almost felt like a bit of a surprise when we got in the final, and we never really went into the tournament as any kind of favourites. It was more like we were dark horses who could win a couple of games," Wolvaardt said. "But this time, especially back at home, it feels like people want us to go all the way and win the World Cup. So it has been a little bit different.
"It's also kind of given the group a sense of belief that if all these people are saying we can actually win the comp, then surely we can. The group really believes that we have the talent in the room to win the tournament."
And now you know which captain said what.
