Women’s T20 World Cup: Head coach Mandla Mashimbyi vows stronger South Africa after semi-final exit

South Africa women's cricket coach Mandla Mashimbyi vows the Proteas will emerge stronger from their T20 World Cup campaign despite a 40-run semi-final loss to England at The Oval, targeting structural fixes and future ICC tournament success

London: South Africa head coach Mandla Mashimbyi believes the Proteas will emerge stronger from their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign despite their semi-final defeat to England, insisting the team will use the disappointment as motivation to improve ahead of future global tournaments.

South Africa’s run ended at The Oval on Thursday after England secured a strong 40-run victory, earning a place in Sunday’s final against Australia.

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The Proteas started well by eliminating three England batters early on. However, a crucial century partnership between Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight shifted the game in England’s favor.

Despite the loss, Mashimbyi remained positive about his team’s growth and the lessons they learned during the tournament.

“You just lose and you learn,” Mashimbyi said after the semi-final. “We’ve learned a lot in this World Cup. We’ll go back to the drawing board and put in place things that will make us even more dangerous and better as a team.

“We know where our gaps are, and that’s all we can do really. We can’t change the results. It’s about the work we put in going forward. We want to ensure that when we get another chance to play in a World Cup or ICC Trophy tournament, we are competing with other teams.”

South Africa had a strong tournament, even though they did not reach the final. Opener Tazmin Brits was the team’s top run-scorer with 225 runs. Experienced bowlers Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail each took eight wickets in six matches.

Mashimbyi also supported veteran bowler Ismail, who came out of retirement for the tournament, to continue representing South Africa.

“I think she’s still in for the long haul,” he said. “She’ll have to make a decision. But right now, she’s still a Proteas player.”

The South Africa coach dismissed claims that his side relied too much on Kapp and Ismail with the new ball. He admitted, however, that the bowling attack lacked variety and needed better support for frontline spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba.

“I think we had too many similar types of bowlers, and teams could figure out what we were trying to do,” Mashimbyi said. “Shabnim and Kapp can put any team under pressure with a new ball, and that’s what we’ve been doing.

“The main goal now is to return to the drawing board and ensure we create processes to bring in players who can perform, if not the same, then better.”

While South Africa’s World Cup journey ended just short of the final, Mashimbyi believes the campaign has laid out a clear plan for the Proteas to become an even stronger presence in future ICC tournaments.