Mandla Mashimbyi: Pretoria Capitals lessons in SA20 final run to fuel Proteas Women

Head coach Mandla Mashimbyi aims to bring the learnings from his time with the Pretoria Capitals in the Betway SA20 into the Proteas Women's environment ahead of next month's series against Pakistan, and the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup.

Mashimbyi played a critical role in helping the Pretoria Capitals reach their second SA20 final. Despite losing that match, the Capitals had an incredible campaign, recovering from winning just one match in their opening five fixtures to reach the final.

Having worked alongside legends such as Sourav Ganguly and Shaun Pollock, Mashimbyi aims to take that experience into the Proteas Women’s camp as they host Pakistan for three T20Is and three ODIs from 10 February to one March.

"I think based on how our campaign went... there's so much learning that we could have taken out of that," Mashimbyi said on Thursday.

"My perspective on things and how I see everything fitting in with the women's team — what are the dos and don'ts?

"What are the things that are key in making sure that you come back from adversity?

"What are the things that are key to make sure that when you've got the momentum, you hang on to it?

"Because we've done both. We started badly, we had to fight our way back, and then we caught fire. It's about picking up on those key moments and translating that into the women's team. As much as it hurts losing a final, you actually learn a lot more in those types of situations than actually winning."

The Proteas Women have played in three back-to-back ICC finals, a feat Mashimbyi acknowledges as a step in the right direction as South Africa continues the search for an elusive World Cup trophy. With the Women's T20 World Cup set for England in June, Mashimbyi embraces their status as one of the world's most dangerous teams.

"Everybody wants to cross that line, but the fact that we've made finals three times in a row is a wonderful thing ... it shows that you're doing something right," he said.

"I want my players to start appreciating that and not feel that they're a failure because we're not crossing the line. The South African women's team is a force in world cricket."

While Mashimbyi builds toward the T20 World Cup, Proteas Men's coach Shukri Conrad is on a similar pursuit ahead of next month's Men's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Conrad's side is set to conclude the ongoing three-match series against the West Indies at the Wanderers Stadium on Saturday for Cricket South Africa's annual Pink Day in awareness of breast cancer.