The Proteas Women suffered a heavy 80-run defeat to the White Ferns, marking their second consecutive T20I loss. With the World Cup in the UK fast approaching, Coach Mandla Mashimbyi is calling for a massive mindset shift. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
Less than three months remain before the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup is due to get underway in the UK, where the South African senior national women's team are set to continue their search for an elusive trophy after reaching back-to-back finals.
For a team that had been so successful in recent T20 World Cups, they are certainly enduring a tough period heading into the 2026 edition of the tournament. On Sunday, they were handed an 80-run thrashing by the White Ferns in Mount Maunganui — the same team that had defeated them in the T20 World Cup final in 2024.
It was a completely "off day" for South Africa, as they lost their second consecutive T20I fixture following a defeat to Pakistan Women at home a few weeks prior. The result was concerning, given the high ambitions of the team, head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, and captain Laura Wolvaardt.
Mashimbyi himself was taken aback by how poorly the team performed during the first T20I in New Zealand, admitting that he had not seen the side play that badly in a very long time.
"It's been a long time since I've seen this team do this," Mashimbyi said.
"It was quite unfortunate to see that we didn't show up. It doesn't reflect the ability that we have as a team. I think we just didn't execute as well as we would like to."
Mashimbyi argued that South Africa needed to maintain a positive mindset as their World Cup opener against Australia Women at Old Trafford in Manchester looms large. Despite having lost the series opener, the South Africa Women's team still have four T20Is remaining in New Zealand to stage a comeback and finish the series on top.
The coach believed the squad needed to show bravery in those upcoming matches.
"I'm sure we're going to come back strong. It's just a mindset thing, really. We need to stay brave, and we need to keep a positive mindset," he said.
"We still have four games to play. We just have to make sure that from a mindset point of view, we're on it all the time, and we just need to show up."
The second match of the series between the Proteas Women and the White Ferns was scheduled to take place in Hamilton on Tuesday.