Proteas Women fancy their odds at T20 World Cup after morale-boosting Pakistan win

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - FEBRUARY 21:Tamzin Brits of South Africa plays a shot during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup group A match between South Africa and Bangladesh at Newlands Stadium on February 21, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

By Yanga Sibembe

29 Sep 2024

South Africa will be one of 10 teams vying for the world title in the shortest cricket format.

Fresh off a tough series against Pakistan – which they won – the Proteas are now fully focused on their upcoming T20 Women’s World Cup campaign next month. They are desperate to clinch their major silverware after falling marginally short last time around.

Professional athletes insist on not dwelling on disappointment. Nevertheless, the Proteas will surely still have the heartache of the previous World Cup lingering in their minds.

This will be their fuel in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which will be hosting the tournament, from 3 to 20 October, after it was moved from Bangladesh because of political unrest there.

The South Africans suffered heartbreak on home soil in February 2023 when they became the first South African senior cricket side to reach a World Cup final, only to be vanquished by the formidable Australia.

It was the sixth T20 World Cup the Aussies had won, out of eight editions. England and the West Indies have a title each.

Growing pains

Since that defeat in Cape Town, much has changed. Long-time head coach Hilton Moreeng has departed after more than a decade in charge, during which he took the team from a group of players who were just passionate about cricket to one of the best cricket teams in the world.

The Proteas have also lost their best bowler, Shabnim Ismail, to international retirement after the World Cup agony. Wicketkeeper Trisha Chetty retired soon after that.

Before them, star players such as Mignon du Preez and Lizelle Lee walked away from the team. Of course, these changes have opened doors for newcomers.

Read more: Laura Wolvaardt to captain Proteas Women at T20 World Cup

The likes of all-rounder Annerie Dercksen as well as young bowlers Ayanda Hlubi and Seshnie Naidu have put up their hands in this regard.

“Women’s cricket has grown,” Hlubi told Daily Maverick recently. “We youngsters have better opportunities and we are taking them, doing really well and showing the hunger to represent our country. It shows that the pipeline is healthy and thriving.”

If the team is to erase the bittersweet taste of the previous World Cup, everyone in the squad will have to play a crucial role. Since some of the departures, a large chunk of the team’s success has depended on the performances of cover drive queen and captain Laura Wolvaardt, and star all-rounder Marizanne Kapp.

Proteas Women T20 Tamzin Brits plays a shot during the Women’s T20 World Cup group A match against Bangladesh at Newlands in Cape Town on 21 February 2023. (Photo: Mike Hewitt / Getty Images)

Experienced campaigners such as Chloe Tryon, Suné Luus and Ayabonga Khaka can be extremely effective on their day. However, if the Proteas are to break South Africa’s World Cup duck at senior level, all the parts will have to pull consistently with similar force and ferocity.

“We’d like to go that one step further and lift the trophy. But anything can happen in a final in T20 cricket once you’ve played a whole competition to get there,” said Wolvaardt.

“It really is just about taking it one game at a time. Knowing in the back of our minds that we have the talent and the ability to make the final, with a squad that’s not all too different from the one we had last time,” the skipper added.

Brits the blitzer

In cricket a good foundation at the top of the batting order is imperative. This is especially true in the fast-paced format of T20.

Before her international retirement, opener Lee had formed a formidable partnership with Wolvaardt at the summit of the batting order, with their solid alliance allowing for the likes of Tryon, Kapp and Nadine de Klerk to come in further down the order and smack bowlers all over the field.

For a long time the Proteas struggled to fill the void left by Lee, with various players auditioning for the role. One of those was Tazmin Brits. Over the past year the tough opener has found consistent form and landed the role permanently.

So good has she been since the previous World Cup that eight of her 12 international half-centuries came between the beginning of 2023 and 2024. As such, she will be a key factor to any hopes of a South African success story in the UAE. Although, at 33, she is not a permanent solution to the Lee-sized void.

Brits recently told ESPNcricinfo that her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer ahead of the World Cup.

“My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer just two weeks ago… You’ve got to keep moving. If you stand still, the world will swallow you in. You’ve got to keep moving,” she said.

This news will be one of her primary motivations to perform at the tournament, besides being cognisant of the positive effects of World Cup success for her country.

“For our country, winning the World Cup will be a massive thing,” Brits said. “I actually get a bit of goosebumps if I think about it. It can definitely change our nation.”

Indifferent form

The team’s form ahead of the World Cup has not been great in T20s. The Proteas might have lost to Australia, but the consolation is that they earned their first win against the formidable Aussies during that 2-1 series defeat at the beginning of 2024.

They also lost by the same scoreline against Sri Lanka on home soil in April. But the squad managed a one-all draw versus India a few months ago. And they head to the UAE riding a wave of victory after defeating Pakistan 2-1 in the final series before the World Cup.

As well as serving as a morale booster, the series, which was played in Pakistan, provided South Africa with a taste of the conditions they will encounter in the host nation, including the sweltering heat.

Australia head into the tournament as favourites, despite being in a transitional phase. Long-time skipper Meg Lanning retired from international cricket a year ago, but youngsters such as Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield have stepped into the picture.

England and India are also genuine contenders, and the West Indies cannot be discounted as 10 teams tussle for the trophy. The International Cricket Council has also doubled the financial reward for the winning nation.

Australia received $1-million for winning the previous edition in South Africa. The ninth iteration of the tournament will see the winners walk away with $2.34-million. DM

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

Categories:

Tags:

DM is much better if you are signed in...

South Africa

Growing pains

Brits the blitzer

Indifferent form