Cohesive team environment 'the difference in this Proteas outfit' heading into World Cup final

There will be a new Women’s Cricket World Cup champion after South Africa and India, against the odds, won their respective semi-final matches against highly favoured England and Australia.

The Proteas and India produced two of the most incredible performances to see their teams into the final, which will be hosted in Mumbai, India, on Sunday. It’s South Africa’s third World Cup final in as many years, having reached the T20 World Cup finals in 2023 and 2024.

The Proteas have had a magnificent Cricket World Cup campaign, blemished only by two big defeats, sandwiched between five consecutive victories in the round-robin phase, to England and Australia.

And while the national team’s performances have peaked at the tournament, they suffered through an awkward period before it.

A 2-1 ODI series defeat to England, losing three out of four matches in a tri-series against India and Sri Lanka and an unconvincing 2-1 series win against West Indies — who failed to make the World Cup — were the only matches head coach Mandla Mashimbyi oversaw in his tenure.

Mashimbyi was appointed as head coach a few weeks after the Proteas Women lost the T20 World Cup final to New Zealand by 32 runs in the United Arab Emirates last year. Current bowling coach Dillon du Preez was the interim head coach then.

While results were not favourable, Mashimbyi was working on off-field cohesion.

“When I came into the job, the one thing that I picked up was probably the division that was within the team,” the head coach explained.  “Not necessarily in a malicious way, but I just thought maybe we could be better in making sure that we were more of a united front as a team.”

Gelling as a unit

The extended Proteas team had camps. Not training camps, just camps with the wooden cricket bats, leather ball and pads not packed along. These were used to build a unified squad.

The unity within the squad is apparent from the outside. The way the team cheers for each other, their embrace after victory and even the quirky post-game awards — which include coins with cricketers’ faces and WWE belts — that are shared by the team.

It’s also shown on the field. While the team have, in the past, relied on one or two players — and indeed, two world-class players stood tallest in the semi-final — it has been a complete team effort for them to come within arms reach of the pinnacle.

All-rounders Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon and Suné Luus have played vitally important roles with bat and ball.

Nonkululeko Mlaba has proven why she is one of the best spin bowlers in the world at the ongoing tournament, Ayabonga Khaka has been a threat with the new ball and when Tazmin Brits has failed with the bat, she’s thrown her body around in the field.

“What’s important for me was just to always give them the love, always give them the care, the energy and be consistent in doing that,” Mashimbyi said.

“That builds trust. We still have a lot to make sure that we champion within the team environment.

“The environment for me was probably the most important to make sure that we get that right, because the talent that the players have always had, that’s why we’ve been in finals before, it was just finding that [extra] 10%.

“And that 10% for me was in making the environment a lot stronger,  and a lot more fertile as well.”

Process driven

In Mashimbyi’s first press conference as head coach, he said in no uncertain terms that he was hired to win a World Cup — after South Africa had reached two finals without jumping over the final hurdle.

And while that remains his goal, his advice to the team is to focus on the processes that helped them reach the final.

“If we go on and win this World Cup, which we all want, we have to look after the needs, and the needs are in the process,” he said. “If we can win those needs in that process, then I can tell you now we’re going to bring the trophy back home.

“But if we don’t look after the needs, it means we’re going to panic. It means we’re going to be outcome-based.”

Mashimbyi is also the third different coach South Africa has had at a World Cup final after Hilton Moreeng (2023) and Du Preez (2024).

After falling to England at the 2017 and 2022 Cricket World Cup semi-final, perhaps this one has proven the old saying that the third time really is a charm. DM

The first ball of the Cricket World Cup semi-final between South Africa and India will be bowled at 11.30am.