Though sadness was the immediate sentiment in the aftermath of the World Cup final defeat against hosts India, Mandla Mashimbyi’s mood quickly turned to excitement for what lies ahead for the Proteas women’s side.
“I’m kind of excited now, because when no one gave us a chance, we gave ourselves a chance. I know what to do going forward. We’ll make sure we leave no stone unturned for England - we’ll bring the tsunami there,” said the Proteas head coach after Sunday’s final defeat in Mumbai.
The next ICC event will be the T20 World Cup in the UK in June next year and expectations will be high for the South African team which has played in the final of the last two editions of that tournament.
Mashimbyi, appointed in December last year, had his first taste of a global ICC event in India, and though the outcome was not what he or the players would have wanted, it has opened his eyes as to what will be required to take that next step.
“It was a special campaign for South Africa. We played good cricket, showed character. Going forward a lot of good things will happen for this team,” he added.
The Proteas won six out of nine matches at the World Cup, which included a run of five wins in a row, that secured their spot in the playoffs. Though captain Laura Wolvaardt was undoubtedly the team’s best player, several individuals elevated their status over the course of the tournament.
Most notable among those were Nadine de Klerk and left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba. De Klerk’s late innings heroics with the bat against India and Bangladesh, her all or nothing attitude in the field, coupled with ever improving bowling, gave the Proteas an extra dimension. She will certainly be a favourite for teams in the three big franchise competitions and will play an increasingly important role for the Proteas in the next five years.
Mlaba, has taken her T20 form and transferred it to the ODI format, finishing the World Cup as SA’s leading wicket-taker with 13. Perhaps encouragingly, there is still room for improvement, some of which was seen over the course of the tournament, where her changes of angle and pace indicated a player whose game awareness is growing.
Chloe Tryon was another who contributed as an all-rounder, as did Marizanne Kapp, despite a disappointing outing in the final.
Mashimbyi will be poring over the team’s shortcomings in the next few weeks, with one eye on that T20 World Cup, but also the 2029 ODI tournament. Annerie Dercksen, showed how powerfully she can hit the ball in the final, but the fact Wolvaardt didn’t trust her to bowl, means that part of her game needs plenty of work.
With Kapp likely to end her international career soon, Dercksen and De Klerk’s abilities as all-rounders will become more important for the Proteas.
For all the improvement she showed with the bat in this tournament, Sinalo Jafta’s time in the side must also be closer to an end. She was given the chance to bat 6 and made a few useful contributions, but when compared with rival wicket-keeper batters, she is way off the mark for international level and more time must be invested in Karabo Meso, the 18 year old who showed promise with the bat at junior level and is a skilled, if somewhat raw, wicketkeeper.
The no.3 spot is another where Mashimbyi will be scouring the domestic scene for options while a bowler with genuine pace to use the new ball will also be near the list of priorities for the head coach.
“If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be,” Mashimbyi said of Sunday’s outcome. “We have to accept it, learn, grow from it, and we’ll come back and give it another go.”
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