“I will just try to listen and observe a little bit. I don’t want to disrupt much now because they’re already in the series. But obviously, I will say what I feel I need to say for them to make sure that this series goes well because it’s important for us,” Mashimbyi said in Johannesburg before heading to Kimberley, where the team is based. “I’m looking forward to just connecting with all of them and having those one-on-ones with them and making sure that we speak from the same page.”
“One of the plans is to play the longer version of cricket at domestic level because it’s easier to adjust from longer version cricket to 50 overs and T20s, not the other way around,” Mashimbyi said when asked about the development of the women’s game at the level below international cricket. “What it brings is a thinking cricketer, a cricketer that’s able to solve problems, a cricketer that’s able to bat for long periods of time and bowl for long periods of time and stay in the field for long periods of time. So, when the time is shortened, you become more effective as well as a player and you think or you feel a lot more efficient.”
“I’m glad that international women’s cricket has got so many more Tests but unfortunately these girls are learning on the job,” Mashimbyi said. “We want a situation where we can expose our players to that type of cricket domestically, and it will also make it easier for them to actually graduate to ODI and T20s.”
“Everybody wants to win the World Cup. I wouldn’t be doing this job if I didn’t want to win the World Cup”
Mandla Mashimbyi
In his decade as a coach in the men’s game, Mashimbyi was with Titans as they won three first-class titles, and he called it the “foundation” of the game. They also claimed four one-day cups and four T20 trophies, which perhaps speaks to his point about skill-transfer across formats, and is ultimately what his aim with the women’s team will be. After reaching successive T20 World Cup finals and the ODI World Cup semi-finals, there is expectation that the team will go all the way sooner rather than later.
Though it is not in Mashimbyi’s KPIs (key-performance indicators), he understands that there will be pressure on him to take the team to a trophy. “As a mandate, I think it’s a no-brainer. Everybody wants to win the World Cup. I wouldn’t be doing this job if I didn’t want to win the World Cup,” he said. “That’s one of the things that made me apply for this job: there’s an opportunity for me to help players reach their true potential and in doing so, increasing their consistency. And once they’re consistent, they’re more confident, and it will make it easier for us to really compete and make sure that we cross that line.”
CSA has made a start on the former but what about the latter? With the Women’s Premier League in India moving to a January-February window from 2026, plans for a women’s SA20 have been dealt a blow, as CSA was understood to be eyeing a similar time slot, which is also when the men’s version is played, and now have to think again.
“Obviously, the WPL has taken the window, so we’ve had to internally reassess. And once we’ve reached a point where there’s more clarity, we’ll be able to come out to make an announcement,” Enoch Nkwe, director of national teams and high performance, said. “But it is a work in progress. We’re really working hard to make sure that we are in a strong position to announce the launch of SA20 Women soon.”
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent for South Africa and women’s cricket
