South Africa lost to England in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup ©Getty
Like it is the case with the men's team, South Africa's women's outfit have been waiting for their maiden World Cup as well. However, unlike the men's outfit, the women have actually come very close to clinching the title over the last two years. South Africa reached their maiden final in the T20 World Cup at home in 2023 and came that far again in the following edition last year in the UAE. On both occasions, quite frustratingly, they couldn't get the job done right at the final hurdle.
2025 presents another opportunity to correct that. However, the South Africans will have to make it to the summit clash all over again in the first place to keep their dream alive. That will be no mean task with multiple teams looking good this time and not to mention that this will be in the ODI format whereas South Africa's recent ascendancy came in T20 cricket.
While the change in format presents its own challenges, South Africa will take solace from the fact that they made it to the semifinals in the last two editions of the ODI World Cup. They do come into this tournament on the back of a couple of series wins - over West Indies and Pakistan. But Sri Lanka gave them a wake-up call in the tri-series in Colombo prior to that. Given they will be facing the same opposition at the same venue again on the big stage, South Africa will have to be at their best in order to finish in the top 4 again to make it to the knockouts.
How they qualified
South Africa made it to the tournament on the back of their fourth-place finish in the ICC Women's Championship. Even though they didn't dominate quite like Australia, India and England did, South Africa did enough by winning 12 games.
Squad
Laura Wolvaardt (C), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Chloe Tryon
Despite making herself available, Dane van Niekerk wasn't picked in the squad. CSA have backed 17-year-old wicketkeeper Karabo Meso. Alongside Meso, the likes of Anneke Bosch, Nadine de Klerk and Annerie Dercksen will also be featuring in their first ODI World Cup.
Keep an eye on - Tazmin Brits
The opener is heading into the tournament on the back of some excellent form, scoring three centuries in her last three outings in the format including an epic unbeaten 171. Her track record suggests she converts her starts to big scores and a formidable opening partnership with skipper Laura Wolvaardt can consistently lay the ideal platform for South Africa in the tournament.
Marquee match -vs England
It's that opening fixture against England. It's the team that denied them a spot in the final in the last two editions in 2022 and 2017. England have also beaten South Africa in 7 out of their last 8 matches in the format. Getting over the line against this opposition in their very first game can set them up ahead of tougher fixtures against India and Australia.
Where they finished in 2022
Despite having a near flawless campaign, losing just one game in the league stages, South Africa suffered a massive loss in the contest that mattered the most - the semifinal.
Predicted finish - Semi-finalists
Given India are playing at home, one would fancy their chances of reaching the final. With Australia and England always around the mix, South Africa will have their task cut out to go all the way but a finish in the final four should be a realistic target.
Full league stage schedule:
October 3 vs England, Guwahati
October 6 vs New Zealand, Indore
October 9 vs India, Visakhapatnam
October 13 vs Bangladesh, Visakhapatnam
October 17 vs Sri Lanka, Colombo
October 21 vs Pakistan, Colombo
October 25 vs Australia, Indore
*All of the above matches start at 3 PM IST
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