Last February, the Proteas Women made history when they became the first South African senior team – men or women – to reach the final of an International Cricket Council (ICC) event.
And it all happened on home soil, with matches played in Newlands, Paarl and Gqeberha.
The South African ladies, captained by Suné Luus, enjoyed a remarkable run. They beat New Zealand and Bangladesh in the group stage, but went down to Australia and Sri Lanka.
So, they had to pick themselves up for the semi-final against a powerful England side, and they played the game of their lives at Newlands to win by six runs.
It was a blockbuster title decider in Cape Town against Australia, but while they lost by 19 runs, they won the hearts of South African fans for their superb effort, with star batter Laura Wolvaardt scoring the most runs in the tournament and fast bowler Shabnim Ismail underlining her world-class ability – with both making the team of the tournament.
They begin their journey once more to T20 World Cup glory in the 2024 edition in the United Arab Emirates. The Proteas will face 2016 champions the West Indies at the Dubai International Stadium determined to go one step further and bring the trophy home. They will also take on Bangladesh, Scotland and England in Group B, and need to finish in the top two to reach the semi-finals.
The South Africans won’t have Ismail as she retired from the international arena last year, but Wolvaardt is back and will captain the side.
The ice-cool Capetonian will be hungry to not only repeat her contribution from the 2023 event with the bat, but also help the Proteas maintain their composure under pressure in the vital moments.
Star all-rounder Marizanne Kapp will bring her outstanding bowling and streetwise batting to the fore as well, while former skipper Luus and experienced campaigners such as Chloe Tryon, Ayabonga Khaka and Tazmin Brits will look to inspire and guide young guns such as Ayanda Hlubi and Seshnie Naidu.
Like we usually do with the Springboks, Proteas Men and Bafana Bafana, let’s get behind our Proteas Women to help them conquer the world.
Cape Times