Proteas men and women will have an eye on next year's global cricket silverware

The Proteas men have improved steadily in Test cricket during the past 12 months and are likely to reach the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).

Thus far in the 2023-2025 WTC cycle, the Proteas have suffered three defeats. One of them was to India at Newlands at the start of 2024, on one of the spiciest pitches in recent Test history. That was followed by two defeats to the Black Caps in New Zealand, where a severely depleted team was sent in to do battle.

But since then head coach Shukri Conrad has overseen series victories against West Indies, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Although the schedule has been favourable – avoiding England and Australia and playing India at home – South Africa have so far played what is in front of them to a very high standard.

“After the New Zealand series, we weren’t really rated. We weren’t really given a chance to be close to where we are now,” said Proteas Test skipper Temba Bavuma.

“We’ll take a lot of confidence from that. There’s a lot more positive sentiment about how we’ve gone about playing our cricket. We’ll keep just focusing on ourselves.

“If we see ourselves [at the WTC final] in June at Lord’s, that will be very nice, but we have to keep playing the good cricket that we have been playing.”

South Africa were close to reaching the WTC final in the previous cycle (2021-2023), but a sequence of four defeats and one draw in six matches against England and Australia, both away, derailed their ambitions as they finished third on the table behind India and eventual champions Australia.

South Africa’s challenge for a spot in the next WTC final will be equally daunting. As per the schedule released by the International Cricket Council (ICC), between 2025 and 2027 South Africa will host England, Australia and Bangladesh, while their away tours include India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Test Championship ambitions

The biennial WTC tournament is in its third season and has given Test cricket a new lease of life. The longest format of the game has never had a tournament like this before, whereas T20I and 50-over cricket have various tournaments almost every year.

The Test Mace, which used to be awarded annually to the ICC’s top-ranked side, has been used as the “trophy” for the WTC. England are the hosts of the first three editions of the final.

New Zealand were the first winners in 2021 after beating India at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. In 2023, Australia beat India at The Oval in London, and the 2025 final will also take place in London, but this time at Lord’s.

“It’s been exciting,” Bavuma said about the WTC. “It puts a bigger value on Test cricket. For the guys who are seen as red-ball players – I remember Dean [Elgar] saying it’s become their World Cup.

“It’s really become something for teams and countries to strive towards. Test cricket doesn’t feel like a stop-gap; there’s actually a lot of value behind it.

“If you listen to the younger guys coming into the change room, there’s a lot more positivity, hype and excitement around Test cricket and wanting to do something special within the format.”

The status of the red-ball game has also increased internationally, with more value being placed on this format of cricket.

There has been a cry for South Africa to play more Test cricket, even though locally it is the  format that is least sustainable financially.

Nevertheless, there are plans in place to increase the amount of money players get per match to encourage players to keep playing the format and not chase the big-money franchise T20 leagues.

“[The WTC] has been a lovely inclusion to have in cricket,” Bavuma said. “Guys were smiling in the changeroom when they heard the match fees might be increased, so that’s another positive.”

The blueprint for the WTC was laid all the way back in 1997 by former West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd, but it took more than 20 years for it to come to fruition. The original idea was for all the matches to take place in a tournament format in one country.

Traction was gained in 2010 before the first edition, which was set to replace the 2013 Champions Trophy. But a last-minute change of heart saw the WTC scrapped and the Champions Trophy going ahead in England and Wales.

The same thing happened in 2014 with attempts to turn the 2017 Champions Trophy into a WTC, but once again the former went ahead instead and was again hosted in England and Wales.

The format and structure of the WTC was finally agreed in 2017, when it was decided that it would be played over two years – a wildly successful decision thus far.

Marizanne Kapp bowls during game three of the Women’s T20 International series between Australia and South Africa at Blundstone Arena on 30 January in Hobart, Australia. (Photo: Steve Bell / Getty Images)

A big year

After a hiatus since 2017, the Champions Trophy is back with the next edition taking place in 2025. The tournament will take place in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, starting in February.

Its reintroduction could be a good omen for cricket in South Africa, as the Champions Trophy is the only ICC tournament a senior South African side has ever won. A Hansie Cronje-led side clinched the first edition of the showpiece in 1998 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

During the past 24 months, the Proteas men’s and women’s sides have reached the final of three T20 World Cups and lost all of them.

The Proteas women also have another shot at silverware in 2025, as the 50-over World Cup takes place in India in September and October.

South Africa finished as runners-up in the past two editions of the tournament, in 2017 and 2022. They have a new head coach in Mandla Mashimbiyi, who has laid out his ambitions to acquire a trophy with the side who has come within inches over the past few seasons.

Next year is a big year for South African cricket with plenty of silverware to play for and both teams looking capable of getting there. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.