Proteas need a reset after World Cup failure

Following South Africa’s worst World Cup campaign since 2018, the usual post-tournament review is expected to scrutinise selection, the batting style and the future of an ageing bowling unit.

The Proteas went “all in” on a squad for this year’s T20 World Cup that featured veterans who’d retired, Shabnim Ismail and Dane van Niekerk, but then performed worse than they’ve done in the last three ICC events, in which they made it to the final.

The 2018 tournament in the Caribbean saw South Africa win just twice — against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — with their tournament ending in the group stage.

This year’s campaign was a failure that featured a batting unit that was never up to muster and lacked the match management skills in run-chases. It was also too one-dimensional, relying solely on power hitting while coming a cropper against spin bowling.

Power team

In theory, a “power hitting” strategy looked appropriate given the resources at South Africa’s disposal. “We are a power team,” claimed coach Mandla Mashimbyi.

However, that power needed to be balanced with subtlety; and in both of South Africa’s losses in the competition, it was the craft of the Australian and English batters which was superior to the Proteas and ultimately proved the difference.

In two group games against Pakistan and Bangladesh, the scratchy nature of the run-chase demonstrated a batting unit that failed to think on its feet.

Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight shared a partnership worth 130 in the semifinal, but while it ended with the pair hitting boundaries regularly, it started with them having to stabilise the innings after England slumped to 23/3 in the fourth over.

“They absorbed the pressure and then threw it back at us. They understood the situation and what they needed to do and then played brilliantly,” said Mashimbyi.

Flurry of boundaries

Aside from the Netherlands — an under-powered team playing in its first World Cup — the only time South Africa’s batters showed the requisite street smarts was in the partnership between Marizanne Kapp and Tazmin Brits against India. Pressure was absorbed at the start, before a flurry of boundaries from Kapp hauled South Africa across the line in that crucial group game.

Immediately after the semifinal, Mashimbyi said he didn’t want to “nitpick” the batting strategy. But that is exactly what will have to occur, not just to determine how South Africa can be better at the next ICC tournament but also the Olympic Games in 2028, for which South Africa qualified after reaching the knockout stages in England.

Clearly, a more balanced approach is needed, which might relieve some of the pressure on Wolvaardt, who has felt the need to go harder in the power play, which negatively impacted her rhythm at the tournament.

While Ismail’s return strengthened the bowling in the power play, opponents adapted to attack the rest of South Africa’s attack.

Kapp, Ismail and Nonkululeko Mlaba all had economy rates of less than seven, but the other three bowlers South Africa used at the World Cup ― Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka and Chloe Tryon, were above that figure, and in Tryon’s case, she went at almost nine an over against India, Australia and England and took only two wickets in the tournament.

Mashimbyi claimed South Africa’s bowling was generally good, but digging into the minutiae, especially in the two matches they lost, showed that Australia and England were happy to see off Kapp and Ismail — although Phoebe Litchfield attacked the latter in the opening match — and then make hay against the rest.

Additional frontline spinner

Mashimbyi mentioned the importance of adding an additional frontline spinner, with leggie Seshnie Naidu, who has played three T20s and was part of the 2024 squad, needing to have her development accelerated.

The same goes in the search for a seamer similar to Ismail. The fact that South Africa had to recall her shows that domestic structures are still not churning out players of international quality.

Cricket SA has sought to bridge the gap from provincial cricket to the international level with Emerging Women’s Squad tours, while the under-19 programme has been gathering steam, as evidenced by South Africa’s runners-up finish in last year’s tournament.

Kayla Reyneke and Karabo Meso, both part of the squad in England, along with Naidu, were in the team that lost to India’s under-19s, suggesting the work done at that level is bearing fruit.

That will need to keep happening because of the XI that faced England’ six players — Kapp, Brits, Ismail, Tryon, Khaka and Sinalo Jafta — are 31 and older. Van Niekerk recently turned 33.