OPINION: Proteas women’s team can lift spirits at T20 World Cup

The Proteas men’s side are often given a hard time for their inconsistency, and maybe rightly so, but they did reach the T20 World Cup final this year, while the women’s team also played in the final of their T20 World Cup held in Cape Town last year.

So, it’s not all doom and gloom regarding our Proteas men’s and women’s teams.

And our women get another chance to impress at a global tournament when the ninth edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup gets under way in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.

And there’s no reason why we shouldn’t think Laura Wolvaardt and her team can’t repeat what they did in Cape Town last year and, who knows, perhaps go one better and win the tournament.

Quality performers

For the record, the tournament was supposed to be hosted in Bangladesh, but political unrest there forced a change in venue, hence the games being played in the UAE at grounds in Dubai and Sharjah.

Wolvaardt and her team are in group B with hosts Bangladesh, England, Scotland and the West Indies, and if they play to their potential and the way they did in the tournament in Cape Town early last year, they should qualify for the semi-finals and then anything is possible.

As we all know, our Proteas women’s team have a number of world-class stars in their ranks, among them Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Tazmin Brits and Nonkululeko Mlaba. There are also some new exciting names in the squad, namely Mieke de Ridder and Seshnie Naidu.

They’ve got a strong and powerful batting lineup and are well-covered in the bowling department with several fast bowling and spin options.

The key of course to having a good tournament is to start well and build confidence from the off, and that’s why they need to win their opener against the West Indies on Friday because waiting for them in game two will be England, who are also strong contenders for the title.

Conditions in the UAE will be tricky, but our Proteas women have been in the country for a while now so they should be acclimatised. Here’s wishing them well for the tournament.