The South Africa women's national cricket team, nicknamed the Proteas, represents
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
in international
women's cricket
Women's cricket is the form of the team sport of cricket when played by women only. It is played at the professional level in multiple countries around the world and 108 national teams participate internationally. 11 of them have WTest and WODI ...
. One of eight teams competing in the
ICC Women's Championship
The ICC Women's Championship (IWC) is an international cricket tournament used to determine qualification for the Women's Cricket World Cup. The first two tournaments were contested between the top eight teams of the ICC Women's Rankings. The ...
(the highest level of the sport), the team is organised by
Cricket South Africa
Cricket South Africa (CSA) is the governing body for both professional and amateur cricket in South Africa. In 1991, the separate South African Cricket Union and the South African Cricket Board merged to form the United Cricket Board of South Afr ...
(CSA), a full member of the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...
(ICC).
South Africa made its
Test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
debut in 1960, against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, becoming the fourth team to play at that level (after
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, England, and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
). Because of the
sporting boycott of South Africa
South Africa under apartheid was subjected to a variety of international boycotts, including on sporting contacts. There was some debate about whether the aim of the boycott was to oppose segregation in sport or apartheid in general, with the la ...
and other factors, the team did not play any international fixtures between 1972 and 1997. South Africa returned to international competition in August 1997, in a
One Day International
A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...
(ODI) match against
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, and later in the year participated in the
1997 World Cup in India. The team has participated in every edition of the World Cup since then, and made the tournament semi-finals
in 2000 and
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
. South Africa has likewise participated in every edition of the
Women's World Twenty20, and made the semi-finals of the
2014 edition, played in Bangladesh.
History
Early history
The first report of
women's cricket
Women's cricket is the form of the team sport of cricket when played by women only. It is played at the professional level in multiple countries around the world and 108 national teams participate internationally. 11 of them have WTest and WODI ...
in South Africa is from 1888, when Harry Cadwallader, later the first secretary of South Africa Cricket Association, observed "a number of the fair sex indulging in practice... and they showed they are possessed of not inconsiderable talent...".
The following year, students from the
South African College
The South African College was an educational institution in Cape Town, South Africa, which developed into the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the South African College Schools (SACS).
History
The process that would lead to the formation of t ...
played against 'a team of ladies', with the male students forced to bat, bowl and field left-handed, and bat using pick-handles. The women won the match by an innings. There are other references to similar conditions being placed on male competitors in matches against women at the time, a tradition carried over from England.
Women's cricket was played in South Africa fairly regularly throughout the beginning of the 20th century,
and in 1922, Winfred Kingswell set-up, and became the first president of, the Peninsula Girls' School Games Union. Ten years later, she helped found the Peninsula Ladies Cricket Club (PLCC), which with 30 members, played regular matches against men's sides on level terms. They played 33 matches in two seasons with limited success, winning nine of them. In 1934, the PLCC affiliated to the
Women's Cricket Association
The Women's Cricket Association (WCA) was responsible for the running of women's cricket in England between 1926 and 1998. It was formed by a group of enthusiasts following a cricket holiday in Malvern. Forty-nine games were arranged in that first ...
in England, which governed international cricket at the time. The intention was to organise women's cricket in South Africa, and eventually send teams to play in England, Scotland and Australia. Little progress was reported, although regular women's cricket continued until the Second World War.
It was revived in 1947 by a group of enthusiasts, and in 1951
Netta Rheinberg
Netta Rheinberg MBE (24 October 1911 – 18 June 2006) was an English cricketer, journalist and administrator. She appeared in one Test match for England in 1949, against Australia. She played domestic cricket for Middlesex.
Her single Test mat ...
, on behalf of the
Women's Cricket Association
The Women's Cricket Association (WCA) was responsible for the running of women's cricket in England between 1926 and 1998. It was formed by a group of enthusiasts following a cricket holiday in Malvern. Forty-nine games were arranged in that first ...
, suggested that a South Africa Women's Cricket Association be formed, and encouraged the possibility that a series of matches could be played between the two associations.
The South African & Rhodesian Women's Cricket Association (SA&RWCA) was officially formed in 1952. At their
annual general meeting in January 1955, the SA&RWCA accepted an invitation from the Women's Cricket Association to join an
International Women's Cricket Council
The International Women's Cricket Council was formed in February 1958 by the women's cricket associations of Australia, England, the Netherlands, New Zealand and South Africa to organise international matches between the countries.
In 2005 it was ...
that, in addition to South Africa, included
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
They also agreed that international matches would be played between the four nations.
In 1959, arrangements were made for the first international women's cricket tour of South Africa, as they would play host to the
English team in 1960.
First international women's tours of South Africa
The touring English side played nine tour matches in addition to the scheduled four
Test matches Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to:
* Test cricket
* Test match (indoor cricket)
* Test match (rugby union)
* Test match (rugby league)
* Test match (association football)
...
, beginning with a one-day contest against a Western Province Combined XI. South Africa began their first women's Test match on 2 December 1960 at
St George's Oval
St George's Park Cricket Ground (also known as St George's Park, Crusaders Ground or simply Crusaders) is a cricket ground in St George's Park,South Africa. It is the home of the Port Elizabeth Cricket Club, one of the oldest cricket clubs in So ...
,
Port Elizabeth
Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...
— the same venue as used for the first men's Test match in the country in 1889 — and ended in a draw. After another draw in the second Test, England claimed victory in the third by eight wickets, and a draw in the final Test gave the touring side a 1–0 series victory. The series saw South Africa become the fourth women's Test playing nation, after England and Australia who contested the first ever women's Test match in 1934, and New Zealand who played their first women's Test in 1935.
Due to South African
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
laws, which introduced legal
racial segregation
Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...
to the country in 1948, no non-white (defined under the legislation as either "black", "coloured" or "Indian") player was eligible to play Test cricket for South Africa. In fact, overseas teams wishing to tour South Africa were also limited by these rules. These laws led to
Basil D'Oliveira
Basil Lewis D'Oliveira CBE OIS (4 October 1931 – 19 November 2011) was an England international cricketer of South African Cape Coloured background, whose potential selection by England for the scheduled 1968–69 tour of apartheid-era South ...
, a '
Cape Coloured
Cape Coloureds () are a South African ethnic group consisted primarily of persons of mixed race and Khoisan descent. Although Coloureds form a minority group within South Africa, they are the predominant population group in the Western Cape.
...
' South African emigrating to England, where he began to play Test cricket. He was subsequently named as a late replacement as part of the England team to tour South African in 1968–69, but
South African Prime Minister
The prime minister of South Africa ( af, Eerste Minister van Suid-Afrika) was the head of government in South Africa between 1910 and 1984.
History of the office
The position of Prime Minister was established in 1910, when the Union of Sout ...
John Vorster
Balthazar Johannes "B. J." Vorster (; also known as John Vorster; 13 December 1915 – 10 September 1983) was a South African apartheid politician who served as the prime minister of South Africa from 1966 to 1978 and the fourth state presid ...
refused to allow D'Oliveira into the country as part of the touring side, declaring: "We are not prepared to receive a team thrust upon us by people whose interests are not in the game but to gain certain political objectives which they do not even attempt to hide. The MCC team is not the team of the MCC but of the anti-apartheid movement."
A week later, the
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...
(MCC) called off the tour.
South Africa's cricket team toured Australia the following winter, but a tour of England in 1970, and of Australia in 1971–72 were both cancelled after anti-apartheid protests. Despite this growing sporting isolation, a New Zealand women's team
toured South Africa in the 1971–72 season. Only three members of the 1960 South Africa team returned to compete against New Zealand:
Jennifer Gove
Jennifer Anne Gove (born 28 August 1940) is a South African former cricketer who played as an all-rounder. She appeared in seven Test matches for South Africa between 1960 and 1972, and is the side's leading run-scorer in Test cricket, with 256 r ...
,
Lorna Ward
Lorna Grace Ward (born 3 June 1939) is a South African former cricketer who played as a right-arm pace bowler. She appeared in seven Test matches for South Africa between 1960 and 1972, taking 27 wickets including three five-wicket hauls. She ...
and
Maureen Payne
Maureen Payne was a South African cricketer who played as a Left arm orthodox spin, slow left-arm orthodox Bowling (cricket), bowler. She appeared in five Women's Test cricket, Test matches for South Africa women's national cricket team, South Af ...
. New Zealand played six tour matches and three Test matches in a tour lasting just over a month spanning February and March 1972. New Zealand won the series 1–0, with both the first and the last Tests being drawn.
Exclusion from international cricket
Although the D'Oliveira affair had drawn international condemnation, cricket administrators in England and Australia were reluctant to sever their playing links with South Africa.
Other international sports had already cut their ties with the country, exclusion from the
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
and
1968 Olympics were followed by expulsion from the
Olympic Movement
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
in 1970. Later in the same year South African athletes were suspended from international competition by the
International Amateur Athletics Federation
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
.
The invitation for the South African men's tour of England was initially maintained, but threats of physical disruption to matches from anti-apartheid militants saw the British government step-in to cancel the tour. In May 1970, the Cricket Council made the decision that there should be no further tours to and from South Africa until cricket within the country was played on a multi-racial basis, and the national team was selected purely on merit.
In 1976, three different organisations; the South Africa Cricket Association (SACA), South African Board of Cricket Control (SACBOC) and the South African African Cricket Board (SAACB) agreed to establish one single board to govern South African cricket, and that all future cricket in the country would be played on an integrated basis regardless of race or colour. The new governing body; the South African Cricket Union formally took over the running of cricket in the republic in September 1977. However, a group within the SACBOC did not recognise this body, and set up a rival organisation, the South African Cricket Board, led by Hassan Howa, who claimed that there could be "no normal sport in an abnormal society". The
International Cricket Conference
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. It was founded as the ''Imperial Cricket Conference'' in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England and South Africa. It was renamed as the ''International C ...
(ICC) imposed a moratorium on tours in 1970.
[Booth (1998), p. 99.] Despite the official boycott, cricket tours of South Africa did continue.
Derrick Robins
Derrick Harold Robins (27 June 1914 – 3 May 2004) was an English cricketer and sports promoter, at one time chairman of Coventry City Football Club. He was born in Bexleyheath, Kent.
Robins played two matches for Warwickshire in 1947, but did ...
took teams in 1973, 1974 and 1975, while an 'International Wanderers' side also toured in 1976.
In 1977,
heads of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 "he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and le ...
of the
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
met to discuss the situation with apartheid in South Africa and the consequences of maintaining sporting ties with the country. They unanimously adopted the
Gleneagles Agreement
In the Gleneagles Agreement, in 1977, Commonwealth presidents and prime ministers agreed, as part of their support for the international campaign against apartheid, to discourage contact and competition between their sportsmen and sporting organi ...
, which discouraged sporting contact and competition with organisations, teams and individuals from South Africa. This agreement temporarily stopped cricketing tours of South Africa. However, in 1982 the first of the
rebel tours
The South African rebel tours were a series of seven cricket tours staged between 1982 and 1990. They were known as the rebel tours because the international cricketing bodies banned South Africa from competitive international cricket throughou ...
began.
Geoffrey Boycott
Sir Geoffrey Boycott (born 21 October 1940) is a former Test cricketer, who played cricket for Yorkshire and England. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's m ...
and
Graham Gooch
Graham Alan Gooch, (born 23 July 1953) is a former English first-class cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, h ...
lead an English XI in a month-long tour of three 'Test' matches and three 'One Day Internationals'. The reaction in England and South Africa was severely polarised. The English press and politicians alike were outraged; dubbing the touring part the 'Dirty Dozen'. In South Africa, it was heralded by the government and white press as the return of international cricket. The English rebels all received three-year bans from international cricket. Sri Lanka toured during the following South African summer, and were followed by a team from the West Indies, who justified their actions by claiming they were showing white South Africa that black men were their equals. However, they received life-bans from Caribbean cricket in 1983, and were ostracised in their own countries. An Australian XI, led by former Test captain
Kim Hughes
Kimberley John Hughes (born 26 January 1954) is a former cricketer who played for Western Australia, Natal and Australia. He captained Australia in 28 Test matches between 1979 and 1984 before captaining a rebel Australian team in a tour of ...
toured twice in 1985/86 and 1986/87, while a second English XI, this time led by
Mike Gatting
Michael William Gatting (born 6 June 1957) is an English former cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex (1975–1998; captain 1983–1997) and for England from 1977 to 1995, captaining the national side in twenty-three Test mat ...
represented the final rebel tour in 1990. There were some women's rebel tours from England, although these attracted much less interest than those in the men's game.
Kim Price, who captained South African women between 1997 and 2000 following their return to international cricket, made her first appearances in the mid-1980s against these rebel teams.
Return to international cricket
![South africa women at taunton](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/South_africa_women_at_taunton.jpg)
In June 1991, the South African Cricket Union and the South African Cricket Board merged to form the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB). The unification ended enforced racial separation, and only a month later, on 10 July 1991, South Africa was re-admitted as a full member of the ICC.
South Africa's men played their first match since their enforced absence in November 1991, a
One Day International
A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...
against
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Just under six years later, and twenty five years after their home series against New Zealand, South Africa returned to international women's cricket with a tour of
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and England in 1997. In addition to marking their return, the three-match
women's One Day International
Women's One Day International (WODI) is the limited overs form of women's cricket. Matches are scheduled for 50 overs, equivalent to the men's game. The first women's ODIs were played in 1973, as part of the first Women's World Cup which was ...
(ODI) series against
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
also represented South Africa's first taste of ODI cricket, as the first women's ODI had been played in 1973, during their exclusion. Despite their inexperience in the format, and the lack of international experience of their players—none of the team from the 1971–72 series remained—South Africa
whitewashed Ireland 3–0. South Africa fared less well as they progressed onto the English segment of their tour. After narrowly beating England Under-23s women in a 50-over warm-up match, they fell to a 79-run loss in the first ODI. They improved in the second ODI to beat the hosts by two wickets, but a seven wicket defeat in the third, followed by rain abandonments in the final two matches saw South Africa lose the series 2–1.
Later in that year, South Africa women competed in their first
Women's Cricket World Cup
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup is the sport's oldest world championship, with the first tournament held in England in 1973. Matches are played as One Day Internationals (ODIs) over 50 overs per team, while there is also another champion ...
.
South Africa qualified from the group stage courtesy of their third-place finish—behind Australia and England—and met hosts
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
in the quarter-finals. Batting first, South Africa only managed to make 80, with
Daleen Terblanche
Magdalena "Daleen" Terblanche (born 19 October 1969) is a South African former cricketer who played as a wicket-keeper and right-handed batter. She appeared in four Test matches, 61 One Day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals for Sout ...
and
Cindy Eksteen
Cindy Elizabeth Eksteen (born 21 November 1977) is a South African former cricketer who played as a right-handed batter and right-arm fast-medium bowler. She appeared in one Test match and 36 One Day Internationals for South Africa between 1997 ...
the sole South Africans to make a double figure score. India reached their target in 28 overs, and progressed to the semi-finals at South Africa's expense.
Series losses in Australia, New Zealand and England
After a 1998 season without any international cricket for South Africa women, they toured Australia and New Zealand in 1998–99. A three match ODI series against the world champions, Australia, resulted in a 2–0 defeat; the third match was abandoned without a ball being bowled. South Africa struggled to compete in either match, suffering a 92-run loss followed by a 100-run loss. The subsequent series in New Zealand brought further defeat; after losing both 50-over warm-up matches to New Zealand women's 'A' sides, South Africa were whitewashed in the ODI series, only managing scores of 82, 101 and 96 when batting.
South Africa were again on tour in 2000, returning once more to England, this time contesting a five-match ODI series. Two warm-up matches against England women 'A' resulted in a narrow victory followed by a
tie
Tie has two principal meanings:
* Tie (draw), a finish to a competition with identical results, particularly sports
* Necktie, a long piece of cloth worn around the neck or shoulders
Tie or TIE may also refer to:
Engineering and technology
* Ti ...
, not an auspicious start. However, unlike their previous two ODI series, South Africa managed to win two matches, winning both the third and the fifth ODIs. Despite these victories England won the series 3–2, subjecting South Africa to their fourth straight series defeat.
Raising the profile of South African women's cricket
The
2000 Women's World Cup saw an improvement in form, as South Africa finished ahead of England in the group stage,
courtesy of a five-wicket victory over them. Their finish saw them qualify for the semi-finals, where they were beaten by Australia, who had remained undefeated in the group stage of the competition.
The achievement of South Africa's women raised publicity of the sport in their own country, where South African Women's Cricket Association president Colleen Roberts described the exposure of the women's game as "pathetic".
Roberts explained that one of the main problems surrounding the promotion of the sport was the lack of teams touring South Africa, due to women's cricket in the country having no sponsor.
South Africa did manage to attract a team to tour in 2001–02, with India travelling to the country to contest four ODIs and a Test match. After winning the ODI series 2–1, South Africa were defeated by 10 wickets in their first Test since their readmittance to international cricket.
South Africa then played three consecutive series against England women, touring the country in 2003, and then hosting series in both 2003–04 and 2004–05. The 2003 series saw the two nations compete in two Test matches in addition to three ODIs. After a series of tour matches against county and representative sides in which South Africa mustered only one win in four attempts, the first Test match was drawn. The ODI series was scheduled before the second Test, and South Africa won the second of the limited over contests, but suffered big defeats in both of the matches either side. The tour finished with another heavy loss in the second Test, England winning by an innings and 96 runs as South Africa only managed to score 130 and 229. In 2003–04, South Africa began the series with a final-ball victory in the first ODI, but lost all the remaining ODIs to lose the series 4–1. In 2004–05 the sides played two ODIs in the weeks leading up to the
2005 Women's Cricket World Cup
The 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup was the eighth Women's Cricket World Cup, held in South Africa from 22 March to 10 April 2005. It was the first edition of the tournament to be hosted by South Africa.
The World Cup was the final tournament org ...
which was being held in South Africa, two years after they had hosted the
men's competition. South Africa lost both matches, and went on to have an unsuccessful tournament; in seven matches (of which one was abandoned and one had no result) South Africa only managed one victory; against
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
. They finished the World Cup in seventh, and were eliminated. Following their elimination they hastily arranged a three-match ODI series against the West Indies, who had also been knocked out of the competition.
Late 2000s
Pakistan toured South Africa in 2007, a series that South Africa won 4–0, with no result. They then toured England and
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. They won all their matches in the
2008 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier
The 2008 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier was an eight-team tournament held in South Africa in February 2008 to decide the final two qualifiers for the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup. South Africa and Pakistan qualified, with the hosts beati ...
, beating Pakistan by 8 wickets in the final, and securing their place in the
2009 Women's Cricket World Cup
The 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the Women's Cricket World Cup, held in Australia from 7 to 22 March 2009.
England won the tournament, beating New Zealand in the final to claim their third World Cup title. England batte ...
.
Governing body
Before 1952, women's cricket in South Africa was for the most part ungoverned. In 1952, following advice from the
Women's Cricket Association
The Women's Cricket Association (WCA) was responsible for the running of women's cricket in England between 1926 and 1998. It was formed by a group of enthusiasts following a cricket holiday in Malvern. Forty-nine games were arranged in that first ...
, the South Africa & Rhodesian Women's Cricket Association (SA&RWCA) was formed to administrate and organise the running of women's cricket in the country.
During the years of isolation in the 1970s and 1980s, women's cricket was strong in South Africa, but with a lack of international competition, the game and governing body became defunct.
The game was rejuvenated by the United Cricket Board of South Africa in 1995, when they ran a successful Women's/Girls' Tournament, and the South Africa Women's Cricket Association was formed.
Tournament history
;
Women's World Cup
* 1973 to 1993: Did not participate
*
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
: Quarterfinals
*
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
: Semifinals
*
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
: 7th place
*
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
: 7th place
*
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
: 6th place
*
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
: Semifinals
*
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
: Semifinals (3rd place)
;
ICC Women's World Twenty20
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup (known as the ICC Women's World Twenty20 until 2019) is the biennial international championship for women's Twenty20 International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cri ...
*
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
: Group stage
*
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
: Group stage
*
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
: Group stage
*
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
: Semifinals
*
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
: Group stage
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2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
: Group stage
*
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
: Semifinals
;
ICC Women's Championship
The ICC Women's Championship (IWC) is an international cricket tournament used to determine qualification for the Women's Cricket World Cup. The first two tournaments were contested between the top eight teams of the ICC Women's Rankings. The ...
*
2014–16: 5th place
;
Women's World Cup Qualifier
*
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
: Won
*
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
: 4th place
*
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
: 2nd place
;ICC Women's Cricket Challenge (ODI)
*
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
: Won
;ICC Women's Cricket Challenge (Twenty20)
*
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
: 3rd place
Players
Current squad
This lists all the players who are centrally contracted with Cricket South Africa or was named in a recent squad. Updated on 1 July 2022.
Centrally contracted players are listed in bold.
Former players
National captains
Records
Test cricket
Despite being the oldest, and originally only, form of cricket played by women internationally, South Africa have played just thirteen Test matches (over half of them against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
), with the most recent Test being played against England in 2022.
Twenty20
Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innin ...
cricket has taken on a far more prominent and lucrative role, almost eliminating Test cricket from the women's game altogether.
Result summary
Individual records
=Most matches
=
=Most runs
=
=High scores
=
=Most wickets
=
=Best bowling figures in an innings
=
ODI cricket
Result summary
Individual records
=Most matches
=
=Most runs
=
=High scores
=
=Most wickets
=
=Best bowling figures in an innings
=
Twenty20 International cricket
Result summary
Individual records
=Most matches
=
=Most runs
=
=High scores
=
=Most wickets
=
=Best bowling figures in an innings
=
''
1 Included a hat-trick.''
See also
*
South African men's cricket team
*
List of South Africa women ODI cricketers
A One Day International (ODI) is an international cricket match between two teams, each having ODI status, as determined by the International Cricket Council. The Women's One Day International cricket, women's variant of the game is similar to t ...
*
List of South Africa women Twenty20 International cricketers
Women's Twenty20 International is a 20 Over (cricket), overs-per-side cricket match played in a maximum of 150 minutes between any two of the List of International Cricket Council members, ICC member sides. The first Twenty20 International match ...
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:South Africa National Women's Cricket Team
Women's national cricket teams
Women's cricket in South Africa
Cricket teams in South Africa