South Africa head coach Mandla Mashimbyi believes the Proteas will return stronger despite their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign ending in the semi-finals. Following a 40-run loss to England at The Oval, the coach said the team would use the disappointment as a stepping stone for future ICC tournaments.
South Africa made an impressive start to the semi-final by reducing England to 23/3, but a match-defining 133-run partnership between Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight swung the contest decisively in England’s favour. Chasing a challenging target, the Proteas failed to recover after losing early wickets, bringing their World Cup journey to an end.
Reflecting on the campaign, Mashimbyi admitted there were valuable lessons to be learned. He said the team had identified key areas that require improvement and stressed that the focus would now shift to strengthening the squad and creating better processes to ensure South Africa can challenge consistently at future ICC events.
The coach also backed veteran fast bowler Shabnim Ismail to continue her international career after returning from retirement for the tournament. While praising the impact of Ismail and Marizanne Kapp with the new ball, Mashimbyi acknowledged the need for greater variety in the bowling attack and more support for frontline spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba as the Proteas look to build a more balanced unit.
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