A lot has changed for the Proteas Women going into the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup which starts in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
In 2023 the team came close to lifting the trophy in front of their home fans when they were narrowly beaten by Australia in the final. It felt like a watershed moment for women’s cricket in the country, and they were expected to kick on from this achievement.
However, a year later they have lost a plethora of experienced players, including speedster Shabnim Ismail, and have gone through a rebuilding phase. They also have a new coach after Hilton Moreeng’s contract was not renewed, with Dillon du Preez taking over on an interim basis.
They also start off their campaign on Friday against the West Indies with a plethora of youngsters, who haven’t been involved in a big ICC event.
They head into the tournament on the back of a 2-1 T20 series win over Pakistan away, however, they have lost both their warm-up matches against New Zealand and India going into the tournament.
The journey to T20 glory begins now! 🌍![CDATA[]]>🏏
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) September 1, 2024
Presenting the fixtures for the Proteas Women in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup taking place in the UAE.
Get ready to support our team as they battle the best in the world! 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦![CDATA[]]>💪 #AlwaysRising #WozaNawe #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/reECEpviLD
But despite this, captain Laura Wolvaardt is confident that the team are in a good place ahead of the World Cup, especially after the backroom staff was bolstered with the likes of batting coach Bakir Abrahams, fielding coach Bongani Ndaba and former Proteas spinner Paul Adams.
“It’s obviously a bit different now. I think most players who have played in the team have never played under anyone besides Hilton,” said Wolvaardt.
“But Dillon (du Preez), who’s taken over, has been with us for four or five years. So, he still knows how things were and where we’re headed.
“And we’ve actually got a batting coach and a fielding coach now this season for the first time officially as well, so everything just feels really well organised at the moment.
“It’s been great just getting a lot of information from a lot of different coaches, even just to have the extra hands at training and to have specific groups doing specific things has been awesome. We’re looking forward to this tournament,” she added.
South Africa Group B Fixtures
Friday, 12pm: West Indies, Dubai
Monday, 4pm: England, Sharjah
Wednesday, October 9, 12pm: Scotland, Dubai
Saturday, October 12, 4pm: Bangladesh, Dubai
@JohnGoliath82