Only a few days remain until the first ICC Women’s T20 Women’s Cup will be held in Africa, and anticipation is at an all-time high. The first ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup was successfully held in Benoni and Potchefstroom last month, capping off an incredible summer for women’s cricket on the continent and in particular South Africa.
On Friday, February 10, the ICC Women’s T20 Women’s Cup’s opening match between hosts South Africa and Sri Lanka will take place at the magnificent Newlands, bringing the limelight of women’s cricket to the tip of the African continent, Cape Town.
Chloe Tryon, an all-rounder for the Proteas women, can already sense the anticipation building for the historic event and is fully aware of its importance for not only herself but also for aspiring female cricket players across Africa.
In a few days, a World Cup will begin. This is a rare occurrence. I believe it motivates us every day. Social media shows us how enthusiastic everyone is and how much the nation wants to show up and support us. It’s thrilling. It still hasn’t really sunk in, Tryon remarked. “We’ve all sat down and put in a tonne of effort as a team. We want to be proud of South Africa, of who we are, and of our families.
For future generations of young women’s cricket players in South Africa and the continent, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup has the potential to alter the landscape.
In the past three to four years, women’s cricket in South Africa has exponentially increased: Craig Smithies
Karen Smithies, the former captain of England’s women’s team that won the ICC World Cup, has lived in South Africa since 1998 and has been a resident of Pretoria since 2003. She has seen firsthand the rapid growth of the women’s game there over the years.
For the development of the sport in South Africa, Smithies believes that the hosting of the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup and now the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup will be game-changing events.
The ICC T20 Women’s World Cup will demonstrate our capabilities and demonstrate that our team is very strong. Over the past several years, the team has been playing pretty good cricket. However, having a World Cup on home soil as the host nation is fantastic for the growth of the sport, according to Smithies.
“In my opinion, women’s cricket in South Africa has significantly improved over the past three to four years. This is largely because of how well the team has played. They have already made the semifinals of the 50-overs and T20 World Cups, won series in New Zealand and India, and seen immeasurable growth throughout that time. Women’s cricket is quickly ascending from zero to hero, she continued.
