Brief History of South Africa Women’s National Cricket Team
The Proteas women, officially known as the South Africa women’s national cricket team, is the top-level women’s cricket squad representing South Africa on the global stage. As one of eight elite teams participating in the ICC Women’s Championship, they compete at the highest level of the game. The team operates under the management of Cricket South Africa (CSA), which holds full membership status within the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Historical Highlights – South Africa Women’s National Cricket Team
Women’s cricket in South Africa has a long history, dating back to 1888. In the early days, there were unofficial matches where men had to play with restrictions to make it fair against women’s teams. Throughout the early 1900s, women’s cricket grew in South Africa. In 1922, Winfred Kingswell started a school cricket union for girls and named the club Peninsula Girls School Games Union. Later, in 1932, she helped create a women’s cricket club that played matches against men’s teams.
The sport paused during World War II but came back in 1947. In the early 1950s, South Africa started getting more organized in women’s cricket. They formed an official association named the South African and Rhodesian Women’s Cricket Association (SA & RWCA) in 1952 and joined an international cricket group in 1955. This led to South Africa becoming part of the international women’s cricket scene and they returned to international cricket to play against countries like England, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1960, they hosted their first international women’s cricket tour when the English team visited.
However, after World War II, South African discrimination laws introduced in 1948 prevented non-white players from representing South Africa in Test cricket and restricted touring teams. This led to the emigration of Basil D’Oliveira, a ‘Cape Coloured’ player, to England. When D’Oliveira was selected for England’s tour to South Africa in 1968-69, Prime Minister John Vorster refused his entry, leading to the tour’s cancellation. Subsequently, South Africa faced increasing isolation in international cricket, with tours to and from various countries being canceled due to anti-discrimination protests. However, a New Zealand women’s team did tour South Africa in 1971-72, playing three Tests, winning the series 1-0.
Red ball History:
The South African team made their Test debut on 2nd December 1960 in a three-day Test match against England Women at St. George’s Park, Port Elizabeth. E. Lambert captained the first ever South Africa test playing squad and then this match ended in a draw. Their second Test also ended in a draw, but in their third Test, they registered their first victory against England Women by eight wickets.
One-Day Internationals History:
The South Africa men’s team commenced their One Day International journey on 10 July 1991 against India, following an enforced absence in November 1991. Six years later on 15 August 1997, the South African women’s team toured Ireland and England in 1997. They defeated Ireland women 3-0 in a three-match ODI series under the captaincy of H. Davies but lost 2-1 to England women.
T20 Internationals History:
South Africa women made their T20 International debut relatively late compared to their Test and ODI debuts. They played their first T20I match while on tour in England and Cri-zelda Brits took the responsibility of leading the team. The South African Women’s team played their first two international T20 matches against two different teams on the same tour. They played their first T20I against New Zealand on 10 August 2007 at Taunton, where New Zealand defeated them by 97 runs. Later in the series, South Africa played their next match against England on the same day, where they also faced defeat by 86 runs.
Tournament Highlights – South Africa Women’s National Cricket Team:
ICC Women’s World Cup –
South Africa didn’t take part in the first five Women’s World Cups from 1973 to 1993. They joined the competition in 1997, reaching the quarter final in their first appearance. In 2000, they did even better, making it to the semifinal. However, they struggled in the next three tournaments, finishing 7th in 2005 and 2009, and 6th in 2013. But in recent years, South Africa has shown improvement. They reached the semi finals again in both 2017 and 2022. In their latest appearance in 2022, they not only made it to the semifinal but also finished in 3rd place overall, which is their best result so far. This shows that South Africa’s women’s cricket team has been getting stronger over time, becoming one of the top teams in recent World Cups.
| Year | Position |
| 1997 | Quarterfinals |
| 2000 | Semi-Finals |
| 2005 | 7th Place |
| 2009 | 7th Place |
| 2013 | 6th place |
| 2017 | Semi-Finals |
| 2022 | Semi-Finals (3rd Place) |
ICC Women’s World T20:
Following their group stage finish in the 1st three editions (2009, 2010, and 2012) of the T20 World Cup, South Africa made it to the semifinal in the 2014 edition. Though the team faced early exits in 2016 and 2018, signing off in group stage, they rebounded with a semifinal finish in 2020, followed by their best to date, runners-up finish in the 2023 edition, on home soil, continuing their growth across formats and competitions.
| Year | Position |
| 2009 | Group-Stage |
| 2010 | Group-Stage |
| 2012 | Group-Stage |
| 2014 | Semi-Finals |
| 2016 | Group-Stage |
| 2018 | Group-Stage |
| 2020 | Semi-Finals |
| 2023 | Runner-up |
ICC Women’s Championship:
South Africa has participated in two editions of the ICC Women’s Championship. In the first edition, which ran from 2014 to 2016, they finished in 5th place. This was a decent performance, but they were not among the top teams. However, they showed significant improvement in the next edition, which took place from 2017 to 2020. In this tournament, South Africa climbed up the rankings and finished in 3rd place. This jump from 5th to 3rd place demonstrates that the South African women’s cricket team has been getting stronger and more competitive over time.
Domestic competitions:
CSA Women’s One Day Cup
The Cricket South Africa Women’s One Day Cup is a domestic 50-over cricket tournament in South Africa. Formerly known as the CSA Women’s Provincial Programme, it was rebranded in August 2023. The competition began in 1995-96 and features 16 teams from various regions across South Africa. These teams include Boland, Border, Central Gauteng (Lions), Eastern Province, Easterns, Free State, Kei, KwaZulu-Natal Inland, KwaZulu-Natal Coastal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Northern (Titans), Northwest (Dragons), Southwestern Districts, and Western Province. Western Province are the current champion and also the most successful team in the tournament’s history, having claimed nine titles.
Women’s T20 Super League (T20)
The Women’s T20 Super League, launched by Cricket South Africa in 2019, is a crucial domestic cricket tournament for elite women players. It features teams competing in T20 matches over a weekend at a single venue. The league has grown since its inception, with team renaming’s and format adjustments. While the 2022 edition was affected by rain, the tournament continues to play an important role in developing talent and providing competitive experiences for South Africa’s top women cricketers. It plays a significant role in advancing women’s cricket in the country.