It’s quite weird for a country like South Africa, which has been for a long time considered to be a cricketing powerhouse to have not won any ICC World Cup, with their only ICC title being the ICC Champions Trophy in 1998. It has been so long since then, that the tournament was called the ICC KnockOut Trophy back then. But now, the South Africa Women’s team have a chance of ending this never-ending drought of an ICC World Cup for South Africa by lifting the ongoing 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup.
It’s not as if South Africa has never come close to winning ICC tournaments, infact, it’s quite the opposite. South Africa holds the unfortunate distinction of being the team with the most semi-final and final appearances in ICC World Cups (across both, T20 and ODI formats) without winning a title. In Men’s cricket, the Proteas have reached 6 Semi Finals including the infamous 2015 ODI WC semi-final, and 1 final (the 2024 T20 World Cup) while the Women’s team have reached 4 semi-finals and 1 final, but neither side has managed to win a single title. In total, that means the Proteas Cricket teams, Men and Women have made 10 semi-final appearances and 2 Finals appearances and have never won any ICC World Cup.
But their win against Australia, the most dominant force in Women’s Cricket, on Thursday marks a new beginning. A beginning where South Africa is no longer chokers. In the words of their Captain Laura Wolvaardt, “Best ever win against any opposition in any format”. But their jobs are not done yet. To write history they will have to go one step further than they have ever taken. To go beyond what they have achieved to date. To win the Finals against either West Indies or New Zealand.
With openers Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits being in the best form of their lives, the Proteas bowling attack looking sharp, Anneke Bosch firing on all cylinders, and Nonkululeko Mlaba currently tied for the Highest Wicket taker award, South Africa is a scary proposition to face.
The Men’s team came so close but failed against India not more than 3 months back in the USA. Now, it’s time for the Women’s team to give it their best shot and lift their country’s first-ever ICC World Cup in the UAE.
