KEEPING UP WITH TRISHA CHETTY: T20 World Cup diary – Vol 4

Trisha Chetty debuted for SA against New Zealand in 2007 in the shortest format and has played 82 WT20Is. She has featured in four World Cups for the Proteas but was ruled out of the first women’s World Cup on African soil owing to a recurring back injury. 

She talks about the Proteas’ making history on home soil, falling just short against the record-breaking Australians in the final and what the future holds for women’s cricket... 

Monday, 27 February – Proud Proteas and my dream team

The Proteas had a shaky start to the tournament when they lost to Sri Lanka in their opening game at Newlands Cricket Ground. However, they fought really hard to get into the semifinals. I had a feeling that we would beat England and see Australia in the final.

To cross over that semifinal line against England for the first time, showed a lot of character and heart. Now that they've crossed over that boundary, they definitely know what it feels like. Going forward, the girls will have the belief that they can once again reach the semifinals and eventually win ICC World Cup tournaments which are to come. 

PROTEAS CAN HOLD THEIR HEADS HIGH

In Sunday’s final at Newlands Cricket Ground, I felt that South Africa’s bowling unit did extremely well to restrict Australia to below a total of 160 runs. It was definitely a reachable target for the Proteas women but unfortunately the start was a bit too slow in the power play and the run-rate just kept getting away from the girls. It made it very difficult at the back-end of the inning, especially losing big wickets at regular intervals. Australia clinched their sixth ICC T20 World Cup title which is a great achievement. Nonetheless, I’m very proud of our girls and they can certainly hold their heads up high.

With the curtain having come down on the 2023 ICC T20 tournament on home soil, South African women’s cricket has never been this big. The Proteas women’s team had never before had the support of the country, and even the world behind them, as much as they did at this World Cup. As such, the women’s game is definitely growing a lot quicker than expected. The packed crowds and the support at all three venues across the country was amazing for the girls and women’s cricket. I hope that the Proteas women’s team continues to get the support they deserve in all aspects of the game as they continue to inspire the younger generation of girls to play the sport which we love.

SHABZS BECOMES A T20I HISTORY-MAKER

With figures of 2/26 from four overs bowled in the final, Shabnim Ismail became the all-time leading wicket-taker in women’s T20 World Cup history. Shabz is just an amazing cricketer and person and she deserves all the accolades which are coming her way. She continues to show why she’s a world-class player by topping the charts as the leading wicket-taker with 43 scalps from 32 T20 World Cup games. I’m extremely proud of her and I wish her all the best in the Women’s IPL which begins next month. I know that she is going to be great like always. Shabz leaves for India in the next few days and it’s a busy time. I’m currently sorting out a lot of things for her before she leaves.

A NEW ADVENTURE FOR COACH KRUGER 

Aside from the players, the coaching staff also deserve credit for this campaign. Hilton Moreeng is quite a laid-back coach. He doesn’t say much to be honest and is a coach who shows very little emotion if we win or lose. But Coach is very approachable and someone you can really have and hold a conversation with. He’s able to give you advice when you need it as a player. That said, in the current environment, the senior players help a lot in terms of assisting the youngsters. The coach and the captain, Sune Luus, have a good understanding and work hand-in-hand. Meanwhile, I see that our fielding coach Kruger van Wyk has now joined the men’s test team. I’m a bit upset about the fact that he didn’t even tell me but, on a serious note, I’m really proud of him. That is a great achievement and I wish him all the best within the Proteas men’s team.

In the future, I think it would be great if the men’s and women’s teams collaborated and had team building and information-sharing sessions. I know our schedules are busy but we all have one goal — to win games and succeed at World Cups. To be able to share those experiences and knowledge with the men would be an invaluable exercise for us.

MY TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT

Tazmin Brits (South Africa), Alyssa Healy (wk - Australia), Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa), Beth Mooney (Australia), Nat Sciver-Brunt* (England), Ashleigh Gardner (Australia), Sophie Ecclestone (England), Shabnim Ismail (South Africa), Darcie Brown (Australia), Renuka Singh Thakur (India), Smriti Mandhana (India)

12th player: Richa Gosh (India)