Cricket South Africa (CSA) director of cricket Enoch Nkwe says he wants this Proteas Women’s team to win a World Cup.
Following their run to the Women’s T20 World Cup final over the weekend, the team returned home on Tuesday and were warmly welcomed back by CSA.
The Proteas lost the final to New Zealand by 32 runs in Dubai on Sunday, in what was probably their worst performance of the tournament.
Their best performance came one game too soon as they knocked out massive favourites Australia in the semi-final, in what was an eight-wicket thrashing.
‘Cause for celebration’
It was the second successive final South Africa had reached at the tournament, and that alone was cause for celebration said Nkwe.
“We want this team to win a cricket World Cup. We can feel that it's actually around the corner. We have to thank the team, the players, the management, the fans and everyone that has been behind this team and continue to support them,” said Nkwe.
“We're super proud of what they've achieved in this World Cup.
“The attitude they took into this campaign was fantastic. There's no doubt that from a national setup point of view, this will have a great impact. It will continue to grow the game and create awareness. Hopefully we see more girls who schools and clubs and all the different systems pulling in.”
The Proteas competing for silverware on such a regular basis would have a huge benefit for women’s cricket South Africa, Nkwe believed.
“The impact if you look at 12 months ago and what the team has now achieved is fantastic,” said Nkwe.
“To have the belief that they’ve built over the last 12 months it's been a great example to many sporting teams in the country and globally as well.”