How do you eat an elephant? Easy, one bite at a time. South Africa will have to do the same when they open their Women’s World T20 campaign against Australia in Manchester on Saturday.
South Africa are up against a mammoth. Their group is a gauntlet of Ice Age behemoths, and nowhere is that more obvious than with Australia, whose prehistoric success and persistent dominance are hard to ignore.
And yet, the group is also a mirror to the Proteas’ journey.
South Africa’s rise has been anything but sudden. They were winless in 2009 and 2010. By 2012, they were competitive.
By 2014, they were dangerous. By 2020, they were semifinal regulars. In the last two editions, they’ve won four matches apiece and reached back-to-back knockout stages.
It has been a 15-year climb founded on resilience. They’ve done everything except lift the trophy. Which is why every cricketing conversation back home now circles the same question: if not now, when.
It wasn’t always like this. The early years came with a patronising chorus – “ag shame, look, the women also play cricket” – but that era is long gone.
This team has often shown more bottle than their male counterparts. They beat India 4-1 at home in the build-up. They knocked Australia out of the last global event.
There is nothing like a good picture before a World Cup 📸🏆
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 9, 2026
The Proteas Women start their campaign this Saturday, 13 June, against Australia.#SSCricket #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/khWXmzZ8oe
But their final warm-up against New Zealand was also a reminder that potential still needs polish.
Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk hauled South Africa to a competitive total, but the bowling never fully bit.
Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail were tidy without being threatening, Ayabonga Khaka was expensive, and the fielding wobbled.
Laura Wolvaardt called the performance “pretty disappointing”, noting the slow pitch and the lapses in the middle overs.
No crisis, just a little proof that nothing at this tournament will come easy. Not even the dress rehearsals.
Be More Than A Supporter. Be Part Of The Team. 🇿🇦
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) June 8, 2026
As #TheProteas set their sights on glory at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, we call on a nation to stand together. 🏆🌍
Bring the energy, belief and unwavering passion that continues to carry #TheProteas in their undeniable… pic.twitter.com/5ylTkZulLx
GROUP 1: THE HEAVYWEIGHTS
Group 1 is the group of giants: Australia the dynasty, India the volatility machine, South Africa the nearly-there side desperate to take the next step, Pakistan the disruptors, Bangladesh the grinders, and the Netherlands the fearless debutants. Every team brings a different kind of threat. Every match brings a different kind of pressure. There are no freebies here. No soft landings. No easy bites of the elephant.
Australia: The Dynasty
Six titles and endless depth. A squad where the bench could make a semifinal on its own. Alyssa Healy still commands the powerplay. Ash Gardner is still the most complete T20 allrounder in the world. Ellyse Perry is still the calm in the storm. They are the standard everyone else measures themselves against.
India: The Stars and the Storm
India come with firepower and fragility. Smriti Mandhana is elegance with bite. Harmanpreet Kaur is steel. Shafali Verma brings chaos. They can beat anyone. They can lose to anyone. They are the most dangerous team in the group because they are the least predictable.
South Africa: The Nearly Theres
This is the strongest, most balanced South African squad ever sent to a T20 World Cup. Laura Wolvaardt is a cool, calm captain. Marizanne Kapp brings the thunder. Shabnim Ismail – the reverse-retiree, the 37-year-old pace merchant – can still strike fear into veterans, especially in swinging English conditions. Chloe Tryon brings the momentum swing that can turn a quiet over into a riot. Nadine de Klerk brings the glue. Ayabonga Khaka brings the death-overs know-how that wins tournaments. On paper, they have all the ingredients. In practice, they need to cook.
Pakistan: The Disruptors
Pakistan are the team nobody wants to face when Pakistan show up to do Pakistan things. They have match-winners, mystery, and the ability to derail a campaign with one inspired session. They don’t always string performances together – but they don’t need to. One upset can change the entire group.
Bangladesh: The Grinders
Bangladesh have grit, discipline, and a refusal to go quietly. Nigar Sultana Joty anchors their batting with maturity, and their spinners can suffocate teams who underestimate them. They are the banana peel of the group – step on them at your peril.
Netherlands: The Debutants
The Netherlands arrive with nothing to lose and everything to prove. Sterre Kallis is their top talent, technically sound and capable of producing the kind of innings that writes headlines.
GROUP 2: THE THEATRE
If Group 1 is the fire, Group 2 is the theatre. England at home. New Zealand with their eternal consistency. Sri Lanka rising. West Indies are unpredictable. Ireland and Scotland are bringing the European surge. It’s a wide-open half of the draw, and whoever tops it will be watching Group 1 with binoculars and heartburn.
England: The Hosts
England have home advantage, depth, and a squad built for English conditions. Nat Sciver-Brunt is the engine room. Sophie Ecclestone is the world’s premier spinner. Alice Capsey is the young disruptor who can flip a match in a handful of balls. They are favourites to top the group. But can favourites flourish under floodlights?
New Zealand: The Eternal Contenders
New Zealand never arrive as favourites, but they always arrive as threats. Sophie Devine still carries the talismanic aura. Amelia Kerr is in the form of her life, with bat and ball. Their warm-up win over South Africa reminded everyone that underestimating them is perilous.
Sri Lanka: The Risers
Sri Lanka are no longer the quiet team in the corner. Chamari Athapaththu is still one of the most dangerous top-order hitters in the world and is capable of producing the upset of the tournament on her own. Their bowling is disciplined, their batting improving, and their belief growing.
West Indies: The Wildcards
Hayley Matthews is match-winning energy. She can take three wickets or tonk 70 off 35 without blinking. The West Indies are unpredictable, inconsistent, and absolutely capable of blowing up someone’s campaign.
Ireland: The Technicians
Gaby Lewis anchors the Irish top order with technique and temperament. Ireland are well-coached, well-structured, and capable of pushing bigger teams deep into the final overs.
Scotland: The Breakthrough Hunters
Kathryn Bryce is one of the most complete associate-level allrounders in the world. Scotland have improved rapidly and arrive with a clear plan: compete, disrupt, and take a scalp.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
SOUTH AFRICA
Marizanne Kapp – The veteran and beating heart of the side. Nobody in world cricket controls a game with both disciplines the way Kapp does. She swings it early, hits hard lengths late, and still finds a way to score the ugly, necessary runs when the innings looks doomed.
Laura Wolvaardt – The tournament’s metronome. Three consecutive ICC events as the leading run-scorer are a sign of her prowess. She doesn’t just anchor; she shapes every innings according to her beat.
Shabnim Ismail – The return nobody saw coming, but everybody feared. At 37, she’s still the quickest bowler in league cricket and still the one batter line-ups plan around.
Chloé Tryon – The momentum thief. When she gets going, the run rate jumps by two in a single over. Her finishing power is unmatched.
Nadine de Klerk – The glue. She bowls the tough overs, fields everywhere, and scores the runs that don’t make highlights but win tournaments.
Ayabonga Khaka – The surgeon. Her death-overs economy is elite, and her nagging persistence in those overs is the reason she is South Africa’s go-to in those pinch moments.
AUSTRALIA
Ash Gardner – The most complete T20 allrounder in the world. Power, control, match awareness – she’s the one who turns tight games into Australian wins.
Alyssa Healy – Still the most dangerous powerplay batter in the T20 format. If she gets going, the contest ends early.
Ellyse Perry – A veteran now, she is experience distilled. She reads pressure better than anyone and still produces the big-moments that steady the ship.
INDIA
Smriti Mandhana – She sets the mood, and when she bats long, India win.
Harmanpreet Kaur – The steel. She has the rare ability to transfer the pressure and then flip a match in a single over.
Shafali Verma – Pure chaos. She forces fielding captains into mistakes before they’ve even settled.
PAKISTAN
Fatima Sana – Their most dependable quick, capable of swinging the ball late and breaking partnerships.
Muneeba Ali – The stabiliser. When she bats deep, Pakistan become a different team entirely.
BANGLADESH
Nigar Sultana Joty – The anchor and the heartbeat. She holds innings together when everything else is wobbling and brings calm to a side built on grit.
NETHERLANDS
Sterre Kallis – Technically sound, mentally tough, and capable of producing the kind of innings that turns a debutant team into a storyline.
ENGLAND
Nat Sciver-Brunt – The engine room. She is England’s most complete cricketer and the one who dictates tempo with bat and ball.
Sophie Ecclestone – The world’s premier spinner. Her control in the middle overs is England’s greatest weapon.
Alice Capsey – The disruptor. Ten balls from her can flip a match on its head.
NEW ZEALAND
Sophie Devine – The talisman. Even in the twilight of her career, she is still the centre of the White Ferns.
Amelia Kerr – In the form of her life. Her warm-up innings against South Africa was proof that she can take a game away in 30 balls.
SRI LANKA
Chamari Athapaththu – One of the most dangerous top-order hitters in the world. Capable of producing the upset of the tournament on her own.
WEST INDIES
Hayley Matthews – A walking highlight reel. She can take three wickets or score 70 off 35 without blinking.
IRELAND
Gaby Lewis – Technically superb and temperamentally calm. She gives Ireland structure in big moments.
SCOTLAND
Kathryn Bryce – One of the most complete associate allrounders. Scotland’s hopes rise and fall with her.
With all that talent across both groups, the tournament feels like a hyped-up pressure cooker with 12 different boiling points.
And South Africa, as always, will live every ball with their hearts in their throats – because that’s who they are, and that’s who their fans are.
And as any South African will tell you: who is calm? We do not recognise them. Especially not when one World Cup bleeds into the other, and you go from screaming at a VAR decision at 2:00 to seeing if Marizanne Kapp has been doing Marizanne Kapp things with a ball swinging more wildly than a Jabulani in a crosswind.
SOUTH AFRICA FIXTURES
South Africa v Australia, 13 June at 15:30
South Africa v Pakistan, 17 June at 19:30
South Africa v India, 21 June at 15:30
South Africa v Netherlands, 25 June at 19:30
South Africa v Bangladesh, 28 June at 11:30
In The Pursuit Of Greatness. 🌍🏏
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) April 14, 2026
The road to the ICC Women's T20 World Cup is underway. 🏆#TheProteas step into the tournament with focus and belief, with our campaign set to kick off on 13 June 2026 against Australia. 🇿🇦
Dare To Be #Unbreakable! 🫡 pic.twitter.com/D8NONH1Qrg