After a heartbreaking semi-final defeat to eventual champions England in the 2017 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, South Africa have had an impressive run and played the most number of 50-over matches among participating teams heading into the 2022 edition of the tournament in New Zealand.
Led by Sune Luus, in the absence of Dane van Niekerk who unfortunately misses out due to an injury, South Africa have the best win-loss ratio after Australia in the last five years among the eight teams participating at the 2022 World Cup.
Two of the key players for South Africa since the last World Cup have been Lizelle Lee and Marizanne Kapp. Lee has hit two centuries and 11 half-centuries in this period, scoring 1508 runs in 34 matches at an average of 53.85.
Kapp, on the other hand is a key all-rounder for South Africa. She has the job of anchoring the middle order and also providing crucial overs. She has scored 485 runs and taken 46 wickets since the last World Cup.
Recent form
South Africa had a memorable run in 2021 which led to them occupying the second position in the ICC ODI rankings. They won 11 and lost just one of the 15 ODIs they played last.
The two-time semi-finalists received a major setback when injury ruled out Niekerk from the tournament. But in Lizelle Lee, Marizanne Kapp, Laura Wolvaardt, Mignon du Preez, Shabnim Ismail and more, they have plenty of firepower in their ranks.
South Africa are unbeaten in their last five ODI series, beating West Indies 2-1 most recently at home.
In Wolvaardt, they have one of the contenders for the batter of the tournament.
Since Jul 24, 2017 (8 participating teams)
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | W/L | Scoring rate | Highest score | Lowest score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | 33 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15.500 | 5.44 | 332 | 241 |
| ENG | 41 | 23 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1.352 | 4.89 | 347 | 75 |
| IND | 40 | 19 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0.904 | 4.60 | 302 | 113 |
| NZ | 40 | 16 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0.666 | 5.05 | 491 | 93 |
| PAK | 34 | 11 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0.523 | 4.04 | 265 | 70 |
| BAN | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 3.43 | 211 | 71 |
| SA | 43 | 28 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2.800 | 4.44 | 299 | 63 |
| WI | 39 | 13 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0.590 | 3.96 | 292 | 105 |
SA's ODI results since Jan 2021
| Team | Result | Margin | Opposition | Ground | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA | won | 3 runs | v PAK | Durban | 20 Jan 2021 |
| SA | won | 13 runs | v PAK | Durban | 23 Jan 2021 |
| SA | won | 32 runs | v PAK | Durban | 26 Jan 2021 |
| SA | won | 8 wickets | v India | Lucknow | 7 Mar 2021 |
| SA | lost | 9 wickets | v India | Lucknow | 9 Mar 2021 |
| SA | won | 6 runs | v India | Lucknow | 12 Mar 2021 |
| SA | won | 7 wickets | v India | Lucknow | 14 Mar 2021 |
| SA | won | 5 wickets | v India | Lucknow | 17 Mar 2021 |
| SA | won | 8 wickets | v WI | Coolidge | 7 Sep 2021 |
| SA | won | 9 wickets | v WI | Coolidge | 10 Sep 2021 |
| SA | won | 8 wickets | v WI | Coolidge | 13 Sep 2021 |
| SA | won | 35 runs | v WI | North Sound | 16 Sep 2021 |
| SA | tied | - | v WI | North Sound | 19 Sep 2021 |
| SA | n/r | - | v WI | Johannesburg | 28 Jan 2022 |
| SA | tied | - | v WI | Johannesburg | 31 Jan 2022 |
| SA | won | 96 runs | v WI | Johannesburg | 3 Feb 2022 |
| SA | won | 6 wickets | v WI | Johannesburg | 6 Feb 2022 |
Captain’s corner
South Africa captain Sune Luus:
“I think we’ve played a couple of World Cups together but I think this is the ultimate one for us. And also for a lot of our most experienced players. I think it’s their big one. So hopefully we can make it count and we can just make it an enjoyable one.
“We have a well-balanced team. I think on the day if all three our departments fire like they are supposed to, I think we can beat any team in the world. So I think it’s just going to be a challenge for us to get both or all three respective skills on the day to fire and make sure we do that consistently.
“It’s a great opportunity. It’s something I’ve dreamed about for many many years. And I’m just hoping you know that I can lead from the front and you know, pick up my hand as a captain and you know, pull the team towards a victory and I know the team trusts me, the management team trusts me. It’s just about staying calm and you know, applying the basis correctly and making good decisions.
“If you look at the warm up matches, and the series that New Zealand just played against India, India scored consistently over 260 and couldn’t defend that. You know, we obviously have to assess conditions wherever we go, we’re playing on different grounds every game so whatever the pitch gives us you need to adapt to that, but the pattern has been 250 plus, if not 300... I’m expecting to see big scores.”
History at the tournament
Best result(s): Semifinalists in 2000 and 2017
South Africa have not yet contested an ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final but have twice made the last four, in 2000 and 2017.
The competition four years ago saw the Proteas boast both the top and second-leading wicket-takers in Dane van Niekerk (15) and Marizanne Kapp (13).
Players to watch out for
Stalwarts:
Marizanne Kapp: Marizanne Kapp finished second in the wicket-takers column with 13 in 2017, just two behind wife Dane van Niekerk.
That took her total to 20 wickets from three World Cups, and she also scored 248 runs including an unbeaten century against Pakistan in 2013.
Shabnim Ismail: Shabnim Ismail joined Kapp as one of the top wicket-takers in 2017, with 10 dismissals at an average of 26.40.
Since 2009, the fast bowler has taken 22 wickets in World Cups with best figures of four for 41 coming against Australia in 2013.
Debutant:
Tazmin Brits: South Africa would be forgiven for having Tazmin Brits in their squad as a specialist fielder, the 31-year-old was a Youth World Champion in javelin back in 2007.
An injury in 2012 hampered her hopes of the Olympics but ten years later she will be reaching the pinnacle of another sport.
And she is more than just an excellent thrower, Brits has made 177 runs in her seven ODI appearances for the Proteas including a high score of 48.
Current squad
Suné Luus (c), Chloé Tryon (vc), Ayabonga Khaka, Lara Goodall, Laura Wolvaardt, Lizelle Lee, Marizanne Kapp, Masabata Maria Klaas, Mignon du Preez, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Tazmin Brits, Trisha Chetty, Tumi Sekhukhune.
Travelling reserves: Andrie Steyn, Nadine de Klerk, Raisibe Ntozakhe.
Fixtures
- BANGLADESH vs SOUTH AFRICA, Sat 05 March 03:30 IST, University Oval, Dunedin
- PAKISTAN vs SOUTH AFRICA, Fri 11 March 06:30 IST, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
- SOUTH AFRICA vs ENGLAND, Mon 14 March 06:30 IST, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
- NEW ZEALAND vs SOUTH AFRICA, Thu 17 March 06:30 IST, Seddon Park, Hamilton
- SOUTH AFRICA vs AUSTRALIA, Tue 22 March 03:30 IST, Basin Reserve, Wellington
- SOUTH AFRICA vs WEST INDIES, Thu 24 March 03:30 IST, Basin Reserve, Wellington
- INDIA vs SOUTH AFRICA, Sun 27 March 06:30 IST, Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Excerpts for this article taken from ICC Online Media Zone (Courtesy: ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2020)