Proteas captain Suné Luus made it clear before the start of the Women’s T20 World Cup that winning wasn’t the only thing that mattered for the host nation.

“Apart from the cricketing … and apart from being successful and winning games, we have a responsibility of inspiring a nation and inspiring young girls to get out of their comfort zones and to imagine a career where they can do anything,” she said.

“That is one of our biggest roles as a team we would like to play. Not just winning games but also inspiring a nation to give them the opportunity to know that they can be anything they want.”

The stands and grass embankments of Newlands, St George’s Park and Boland Park were more packed than ever before with young supporters watching their national sporting team live in action.

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More than 40,000 fans passed through the turnstiles during the group stages of the tournament, according to Cricket South Africa (CSA) statistics, a record for women’s international cricket in South Africa.

The opening match between South Africa and Sri Lanka at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on 10 February attracted the highest crowd ever (of 7,736 people) for a women’s international match in the country.

The double-header featuring England, India, SA and Australia at St George’s Park in Gqeberha came in at a close second with 7,588 fans in the stadium on 18 February.

South Africa celebrate after winning the match during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final between South Africa and England at Newlands. (Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)

But those numbers pale in comparison to the 86,174 fans who turned up to Melbourne Cricket Ground for the final of the 2020 edition of the tournament in Australia.

But put in South Africa’s context, this World Cup has opened many eyes to the possibilities within women’s cricket.

Proteas opener Laura Wolvaardt grew up not knowing women’s cricket existed. Through accessibility to the sport that the World Cup has created, the Proteas’ next opening batter will not have the same issue.

“It’s been fantastic to see South Africans coming out in their numbers to support the Proteas and the Women’s T20 World Cup,” said Muditambi Ravele, the local organising committee CSA board chairperson.

“This is the first time that women’s cricket has been presented to the South African public in this manner. Many will have watched their first live match ever. It’s exciting to see women’s cricket being celebrated on this global platform.

“Our legacy for this Women’s T20 World Cup is to play a part in changing the face of women’s cricket in the country by increasing access and participation in the sport.

“We have exposed many young cricketers to the pinnacle of women’s sport and we hope all of our efforts will lead to more fans, more players and administrators getting involved in the sport.”

‘It’s been amazing’

The Women’s T20 World Cup is the first one in the country since 2005, when SA hosted the 50-over iteration of the tournament.

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That tournament was hosted in the northern part of the country – Potchefstroom, Benoni, Rustenburg and Pretoria; this one is along the picturesque southern coast with matches in Gqeberha, Paarl and Cape Town.

“It’s been amazing. A lot of us haven’t been to South Africa [before] but it’s a beautiful country and we’ve really enjoyed our time here. Thankfully we’ve got a few more days here,” said Australian opener Beth Mooney after her side beat India by five runs in their semifinal clash.

Reigning champions Australia have been expectedly exceptional. The Aussie Women are the most successful women’s cricket team in history and have made it through to the final of the World Cup undefeated.

For any team to beat them, it would take a superhuman effort.

They were pushed closest by India, the runners-up in the 2020 T20 World Cup, in the semifinal on 23 February, but their superior athleticism in the field and experience in big moments proved the difference.

“The crowd has been great, especially in the game where we played South Africa; that crowd was fantastic,” said Australian star all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner after the clash. “The anthems were really cool, to have the whole crowd singing the South African anthem, it was kind of chilling at the start of the game.

“It’s awesome to see people coming out here just supporting the game of cricket, supporting female athletes. There are a few Aussie supporters, which is nice to see.”

England have also been in red-hot form. They were undefeated in the group stages and according to their captain, Heather Knight, they have the best player in the world in Natalie Sciver-Brunt. Sciver-Brunt struck a sublime 81 off 40 deliveries against Pakistan in their final group game, which included 12 fours and one big six.

 Stuttering form

Off the playing field, the T20 World Cup has been far-reaching, but on it South Africa have struggled for consistency.

The Proteas lost the curtain-raiser to Sri Lanka by three runs at Newlands before thumping New Zealand by 65 runs in Boland Park three days later.

Then they were humbled by world number one Australia by six wickets at St George’s Park. They then won their crunch final group game against Bangladesh by 10 wickets to seal their place in the semifinals.

The hosts were tied on points with New Zealand and Sri Lanka in their group but went through to the knockout phase thanks to a superior net run rate.

SA’s bowling attack has been exceptional throughout the tournament, even in their defeats. Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp continue to set the standard in fast bowling despite both approaching their mid-30s. Spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba has had a breakout campaign.

But SA’s on-field success is second to what hosting the tournament on home soil means for the next generation of cricketing stars.

If the women’s game grows at the same rate it did in the past 18 years in the country, the Proteas will be an authoritative force in the global game and not be playing catch-up to Australia and England. DM168