South Africa has been having a rough time at the World Cup when its women’s team lost a key match. The under-19 side could not overcome the final hurdle. India on the other hand, went through the tournament unbeaten, dismantled our Proteas by nine wickets at the under-19 Cricket World Cup on Sunday morning in Malaysia after the South African under-19 side could only muster 82 runs in their 20 overs. Throughout the under-19 World Cup India have been the dominant side, with no team laying a glove on them. The Proteas Women’s team needed to be at their very best to beat them and on that day, which was Sunday they were not. As a result, the South African Cricket Women’s team found themselves out of the World Cup.
“I take nothing away from this team,” (Kayla) Reyneke said. “We’ve had a pretty good run, I’m so thankful for everything. I said before the game, if it’s not the timing for us today, it will be in the future for us. It just wasn’t our day today, we didn’t show up.” The conditions in Malaysia suited the strong Indian side as well, as they deployed their array of varied spinners, and batters who bat well against spin, to excellent effect. The 2025 tournament has shown the growth in under-19 women’s cricket development in the country. At the inaugural under-19 Women’s World Cup, hosted in South Africa in 2023, the home side failed to pass the Super Stage after being knocked out through net-run rate.
At the second time of asking, they coasted through their group, the Super Six stage and their semifinal against Australia but fell short against the two-time champions, when the two unbeaten sides met in the final. “We will still take the positives, there’s so much to take out of this tournament. I’m so proud of these girls,” Reyneke added. “What we’ve done, not only here but for the young girls back home. We’ve inspired a nation and we’ve shown what we can do on the big stage.
The Proteas women’s cricket team deserves the support of all South Africans for having tried their best in the intense Cricket World Cup in Malaysia. Going up against India’s Women’s team would have driven up anxiety levels. If there is one national team that takes cricket to a whole new level zealously it is India. The Indian cricket team would have a field trip in the Malaysia Cricket World Cup given how close that country’s climate is to India. Professional cricket can be a very intense game where you cannot lose your cool. Anxiety has no place. It leads to intense pressure that can jeopardise your focus.
The young women who were selected to play the game for South Africa were lucky. This was a once in a life time opportunity. The sport is among the most intense in professional competitive games. The women who were chosen for the team did their best for South Africa and for being on the Proteas. This was not a breeze when going up against India. To bat and bowl in professional cricket takes up a lot of strength. The work out, training and practice hours require full commitment. The Proteas though still did South Africa proud.
Meanwhile Betaway SA20 and Cricket South Africa (CSA) have taken a step into the future after formalising a competition window for the country’s premier T20 competition for the next three years.
Season 4 will get underway during South Africa’s peak festive season from 26 December 2025 and run through to 26 January 2026. “Early planning has also meant that we are able to look at an extended window from 2026/27 and this will optimise scheduling, logistics and the fan experience’’ The ICC event schedule which was confirmed until 2031 and the current Future Tours Programme (FTP) until 2027 was taken into consideration. A working group made up of representatives from both the League and Cricket South Africa determined the competition window for Seasons 4 through 6 of the Betway SA20. Meanwhile, the third season of the competition heads into the crucial playoffs which get underway in Gqeberha on Tuesday.
The focus on organizing these competitions from now into the years ahead is meant to generate the excitement and hype over these cricket matches. The Early planning shows the effort into putting these cricket matches together. There can be no space for delays. These matches also serve as a way to showcase local talent and determine who will full the ranks of the Proteas next. The tournaments are set in advance so that spectators can book their tickets early. This way they can cheer their favourite players. These games and their setup take months, even years of planning and the best organizers earn more than their fair share of income. Yes, this is mainly to show case new found talent to be recruited but these tournaments serve as a way to make money.
The more money these tournaments generate the more of them will be held. Hopefully the amount of money being generated will lead to further jobs in the sports industry being created. As regards to the Proteas they will have their victories as well as their defeats. Both the women’s and men’s cricket teams.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
