Women’s cricket has taken a storm in South Africa. The national team is on the rise and can be ranked among the top 3 women’s cricket teams in the world. Although the national team just went through a home series friendly loss against England in all three formats, women’s growth in cricket has been positive, and that is starting to rub off at the provincial level, where unions like the Titans have elevated the profile of their women’s teams, creating more opportunities to forge careers in the game.
Following the men’s team, South African women also reached the T20 World Cup final, fueling women’s empowerment in Africa. The team is inspiring, last October they defeated Australia by 8 wickets in the semi-final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. The South African Women’s Team often surprises us like this with top-notch performances, and you might even catch them on Betway Malawi. Australia’s dominance in women’s cricket has been established for a long time, they have won six out of eight T20 World Cups and if that’s not enough, they won the last three T20 World Cups yet got defeated by South African women.
South Africa Women’s Cricket Team Preview
The South African women’s team is mainly focused on batting, with few bowlers on the rise recently. With outstanding hitters such as Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, and Delmari Tucker, they have the ability to put up a much stronger fight against any team, even the Australian Women.
On the bowling side, Nonkululeko Mlaba and Kapp, who consistently deliver economical and wicket-taking efforts, have surpassed country records and are still going. Eliz-Mari Marx has continuously been outstanding with the ball and stunned everyone with her right-arm medium bowling action.
South Africa may have lost both white-ball series, but they used the opportunity to introduce new players and prepare them. When Marizanne Kapp retires, Dercksen is a versatile player who might step in, and Marx is the best bowler in the first T20I, taking crucial wickets with outstanding precision.
Former Captain Suné Luus on Improvements in Women’s Cricket in South Africa
Former captain and current Proteas all-rounder Suné Luus believes the sport has come a long way since she started playing for the national team as a 16-year-old. She says in an interview:
“I think when I look back at my 10-year career, I think the first five years were fully just for the fun of it and just enjoying cricket and playing on the international stage. But I think the last five years, you know, we’ve worked towards being fully professional. To be honest, I still think there’s a long way to go for South African women’s sport, especially, but I think it’s going in the right direction, and we’re moving there slowly but surely.”
“It’s definitely a focus at Titans, but we also reflected on how we treated women’s cricket in the past, and some of it has shown us up. We are actually embarrassed by the way we’ve treated women’s cricket in the past. It did help when it became professionalized, so you’ve got to treat them as professional cricketers and as a professional team. I think that has helped shape a new mindset around women’s cricket.”
The hard work has only just begun in the quest to grow the women’s game even more, and dedication and results on the field will be required for it to reach its true potential. Growing up and supporting the women’s cricket team was a personal passion and a moral obligation for the South African men’s cricket squad too.
“You need people to invest in it, to make a social investment. Cricket South Africa has also achieved a lot with it. I think they have deliberately positioned women’s cricket in a higher position than they have in the past. There’s a professional league now, so we just have to continue with it.”
Looking at the Future
Women’s cricket in South Africa has made giant strides in the past 12 months. The momentum from the historic T20 World Cup final appearance has continued, and with the women now earning the same match fees as their male counterparts and boasting a packed calendar, the future is bright. After fighting for recognition and support for many, many years, the sport is finally gaining the respect it deserves.
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