Proteas women gearing up for T20 World Cup

The South African women’s cricket team will be looking to gather momentum for the ICC T20 World Cup when they meet Pakistan in a T20 international series in Multan next week. The T20 World Cup will take place in the United Arab Emirates next month.

Meanwhile, the Proteas men’s cricket team will face Afghanistan in a series for the very first time. The series will take place amid controversial circumstances due to the Taliban’s cruel laws denying women basic rights, such as the right to education and employment.

The Proteas women will tour Pakistan for a three-match T20 international series starting on Monday. It’s a preparatory series ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup in UAE in October.

Proteas player Tumi Sekhukhune says they will be looking to acclimatize to the conditions and gather momentum for the World Cup.

“It’s exciting to start in Pakistan to get the momentum going to the World Cup. It’s quite interesting that we get used to the conditions for the World Cup. We will see how we do there and hopefully, take that momentum to the World Cup.”

The 25-year-old missed the last World Cup on home soil in Cape Town, where South Africa lost in the final to Australia. And she is looking to make her impression on the biggest stage.

“I missed out last year, unfortunately, but this year, it’s a big opportunity for me to showcase my skill on a T20 stage. I am quite excited and it’s very special to represent the country I can never take that for granted,” says Sekhukhune.

The last two matches will be played next week on Wednesday and Friday.

Meanwhile, the South African men’s team will travel to the UAE for white ball series against Afghanistan and Ireland. The Proteas’ first series, in any format, against Afghanistan will consist of three One-Day International in Sharjah.

Afghanistan have made great strides in World Cricket in recent months, but their achievements have been overshadowed by their government’s ban on women’s players. The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, and with it, imposed a series of cruel laws governing the treatment of women in the country.

Despite the Afghanistan Cricket Board contracting 25 women in 2020 partly to comply with the ICC’s criteria for full member status, the team fell apart once the Taliban took over with many players going into exile abroad.

Because of this ill-treatment of women in the country, Australia has refused to play bilateral cricket against them, meeting them only at ICC sanctioned tournaments such as World Cups. And Proteas captain Temba Bavuma sympathised with women in Afghanistan.

“I support the idea of inclusivity and giving women a fair chance in a society. We know that is something relevant to us as a country and I am fully behind the sentiments that are expressed,” says Bavuma.

The Proteas have not played any 50 overs international matches since last year’s World Cup in India. There are many new faces in the team in an attempt to increase squad depth heading into the 2027 World Cup on home soil. And although Bavuma supports the idea of experimenting, he says it should not happen at the expense of results.

“I understand the bigger picture in widening the depth within the team, but from the same vein, from player’s competitive point of view, winning is the main thing. That’s why we train,” says Bavuma.

The series against Afghanistan will be followed by a series of two T20 and three One Day Internationals against Ireland in Abu Dhabi starting at the end of the month.