New coach Mashimbyi calls for consistency
Mandla Mashimbyi, the newly appointed coach of the South African women's cricket team, has underscored the need for consistency following his team's six-wicket defeat against England in the second ODI at Durban.
With the three-match series now level at 1-1, the Proteas face a crucial decider tomorrow at JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom in their hunt for a historic first series win against the four-time world champions.
Despite the disappointing performance in the last match, there have been positive strides in women's cricket in South Africa. Recent results highlight this progress, and the introduction of youthful talent into the team continues to bolster depth.
A message from mom🥺
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) December 9, 2024
We surprised Laura with a heartwarming video from her mom on the bus yesterday as she celebrated her 100th ODI cap.
Her reaction was EVERYTHING!🤗💚#AlwaysRising #WozaNawe#BePartOfIt #SAvENG pic.twitter.com/D4EtwagHOS
One standout moment in the past two years was their three-wicket triumph over a formidable England squad during the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup at the Bay Oval in New Zealand. Earlier this year, they also achieved their first-ever victory against Australia on their home turf with a Duckworth-Lewis win by 84 runs. These successes have raised expectations, yet the team has struggled to meet them consistently.
Although the Proteas have managed to win two of their last five series, they find themselves winless over their last three series, having suffered defeats against Australia (2-1), India (3-0), and a drawn series against Sri Lanka (1-1) earlier this year. Mashimbyi identifies inconsistency over the last twelve months as an area that urgently needs addressing if they are to challenge effectively in this series.
“One of the things I have picked up with this team is that we are either high or we are very low,” Mashimbyi said.
“We need to find a happy medium somewhere, and one of the things that can help rectify that comes down to how we train. I can see some execution that is not at the level we need it to be at times.”
Reflecting on the previous match, the former Titans coach was encouraged by the performance of Laura Wolvaardt, who, in her 100th ODI match, scored 35 runs and established a pivotal partnership of 58 runs with Annerie Dercksen. However, he noted that the loss of wickets in clusters greatly undermined their batting momentum, and emphasized that the bowlers must do better in the next match to challenge the English batting line-up.
“I thought Wolfie controlled the innings nicely; Dercksen came in, and they had a good partnership. But it will always be tough if you lose four wickets within two overs for only four runs. You are always going to be up against it, but at the end of the day, we just didn't put enough runs on the board.”
Moreover, Mashimbyi highlighted the need for bowlers to maintain better line and length, pointing out, “We know if we keep the ball in the stumps with this (England) team, we ask the right questions, and we get them in trouble most of the time.
“It’s about how we keep that going, and a lot of it will come back to how we train, and that’s one of the things I need to sort out.”