Proteas Women’s head coach Mandla Mashimbyi insisted there was no point dwelling on Thursday’s World Cup semi-final defeat to England, instead urging his side to learn from the experience after falling short in their pursuit of a maiden ICC title.
South Africa’s campaign came to a disappointing end after England comfortably defended their total of 169/5, restricting the Proteas to 128/8 in their subsequent run chase and shattering the South African side’s hopes of reaching a third successive ICC tournament final. Rather than searching for excuses, Mashimbyi praised England’s tactical execution and openly admitted the better side had progressed.
“I think today we’ve got to give credit to England,” Mashimbyi said post-match. “They were really good. They were incredible. To be fair, the two best teams in the tournament are in the final.”
The head coach firmly rejected suggestions that late alterations to the batting order contributed to the defeat, stating that the core responsibility rested with a batting unit that simply failed to produce its best cricket when it mattered most.
“We believe in every single player that we have in the batting line-up, and they just need to play their respective roles well. It didn’t work out for us this time around. I just don’t think we batted well enough today.”
Mashimbyi felt South Africa’s bowling department had been a major strength throughout the tournament, but admitted their top-order batting never consistently reached the high standards they collectively expect.
“We are a power-hitting team and today was probably testament to that, in terms of us not scoring enough boundaries. If you don’t score boundaries in T20 cricket, you’re going to be found wanting,” he reflected.
Asked what currently separates heavyweights England and Australia from the rest of the international field, Mashimbyi pointed directly to their clinical ability to execute game plans under extreme pressure, suggesting England displayed far greater mental resolve in the semi-final.
“We probably didn’t want it as much as they did in this semi-final,” the coach added candidly. “It’s not a skill thing. You cannot play in World Cups if you don’t possess skill. It’s just the mental side of the game.”
Despite the immediate heartbreak, Mashimbyi insisted there would be no lingering sense of despair within the squad as South Africa turn their competitive attention to the future.
“What pain?” Mashimbyi retorted when asked about the mood in the dressing room. “You just lose and you learn. We’ve learned an immense amount in this World Cup and we’ve got to make sure we go back to the drawing board. We must put things in place that are going to make us a little bit more dangerous and a little bit better going forward.”
England will now face old foes Australia in Sunday’s showpiece final at Lord’s.
