South African women's cricket team
Encyclopedia
The South Africa national women's cricket team is the team that represents the country of South Africa
in international women's cricket
matches. The South African women's cricket team is an amateur team, with players required to take time away from their full-time jobs to represent their country at cricket. The first match played by a South African women's team was against England women in 1960, when they became the fourth women's Test cricket
playing nation, after England, Australia and New Zealand. They played no international cricket between 1972 and 1997, due to the sporting boycott
against apartheid.
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
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
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
, on behalf of the Women's Cricket Association
, 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
that, in addition to South Africa, included England, Australia and New Zealand. 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.
, 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 Park
, Port Elizabeth—the same venue as used for 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 laws, which introduced legal racial segregation
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
, a 'Cape Coloured
' 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 John Vorster 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
(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
, Lorna Ward
and Maureen Payne
. 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.
and 1968 Olympics
were followed by expulsion from the Olympic Movement
in 1970. Later in the same year South African athletes were suspended from international competition by the International Amateur Athletics Federation
. 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 (ICC) imposed a moratorium on tours in 1970. Despite the official boycott, cricket tours of South Africa did continue. Derrick Robins
took teams in 1973, 1974 and 1975, while an 'International Wanderers' side also toured in 1976.
In 1977, heads of state
of the Commonwealth of Nations
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
, 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
began. Geoffrey Boycott
and Graham Gooch
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
toured twice in 1985–96 and 1986–87, while a second English XI, this time led by Mike Gatting
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.
and England
in 1997. In addition to marking their return, the three-match women's One Day International (ODI) series against Ireland 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
. South Africa qualified from the group stage courtesy of their third place finish—behind Australia and England—and met hosts India in the quarter-finals. Batting first, South Africa only managed to make 80, with Daleen Terblanche
and Cindy Eksteen
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.
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, 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.
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
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. 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.
and Netherlands
. They won all their matches in the 2007–08 ICC Women's World Cup Qualifying Series, beating Pakistan by 8 wickets in the final, and securing their place in the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup
.
, 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.
ICC Women's World Twenty20
ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier
ICC Women's Cricket Challenge (ODI)
ICC Women's Cricket Challenge (Twenty20)
cricket has taken on a far more prominent and lucrative role, almost eliminating Test cricket from the women's game altogether. Of their eleven matches, more than half have been against England, and it was against them in 2003 that South Africa reached their highest innings total of 316. Only two South African batsmen have scored centuries in women's Test cricket; Yvonne van Mentz
remained 105 not out
against England in 1961, and Brenda Williams
was dismissed for 100 exactly against New Zealand
in 1972. Despite their achievements, Jennifer Gove
has the highest aggregate of runs for South Africa, totalling 256 from her seven appearances. Three South African bowlers have taken five-wicket hauls; Lorna Ward
did so on two occasions, and Jean McNaughton
and Sunette Loubser
have both done so once. McNaughton has the best bowling figures for South Africa in a Test match innings, having claimed six wickets and allowing 39 runs from her bowling against England in 1960.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in international women's cricket
Women's cricket
Women's cricket is the form of the team sport of cricket that is played by women.-History:The first recorded match of women's cricket was reported in The Reading Mercury on 26 July 1745, a match contested "between eleven maids of Bramley and eleven maids of Hambledon, all dressed in white." The...
matches. The South African women's cricket team is an amateur team, with players required to take time away from their full-time jobs to represent their country at cricket. The first match played by a South African women's team was against England women in 1960, when they became the fourth women's Test cricket
Women's Test cricket
Women's Test cricket is the longest format of women's cricket and is the gender equivalent to men's Test cricket. Matches comprise four-innings and are held over a maximum of four days between two of the leading cricketing nations...
playing nation, after England, Australia and New Zealand. They played no international cricket between 1972 and 1997, due to the sporting boycott
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 end segregation in sport or to end apartheid altogether.-United Nations:...
against apartheid.
Early history
The first report of women's cricketWomen's cricket
Women's cricket is the form of the team sport of cricket that is played by women.-History:The first recorded match of women's cricket was reported in The Reading Mercury on 26 July 1745, a match contested "between eleven maids of Bramley and eleven maids of Hambledon, all dressed in white." The...
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
South African College
The South African College was an educational institution in Cape Town, South Africa, which developed into the University of Cape Town and the South African College Schools .-History:...
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
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
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
Women's Cricket Association
The Women's Cricket Association 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...
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
Netta Rheinberg MBE played for the English women's cricket team in a single Test, but was a notable figure in the women's game as an administrator and journalist. Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, the former England captain, said of her work as an administrator, "Netta was an action girl...
, on behalf of the Women's Cricket Association
Women's Cricket Association
The Women's Cricket Association 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...
, 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
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
in January 1955, the SA&RWCA accepted an invitation from the Women's Cricket Association to join an International Women's Cricket Council
International Women's Cricket Council
The International Women's Cricket Council was formed in 1958 by the women's cricket associations of Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa to organise international matches between the four nations....
that, in addition to South Africa, included England, Australia and New Zealand. 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 matchesWomen's Test cricket
Women's Test cricket is the longest format of women's cricket and is the gender equivalent to men's Test cricket. Matches comprise four-innings and are held over a maximum of four days between two of the leading cricketing nations...
, 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 Park
Sahara Oval St George's
St George’s Park Cricket Ground is a cricket ground in St George's Park, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It is the home of the Port Elizabeth Cricket Club, one of the oldest cricket clubs in South Africa, and the Eastern Province Club...
, Port Elizabeth—the same venue as used for 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 laws, which introduced legal racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
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 D'Oliveira
Basil Lewis D'Oliveira CBE , known affectionately around the world as "Dolly", was a South African-born English cricketer. D'Oliveira was classified as 'coloured' under the apartheid regime, and hence barred from first-class cricket, resulting in his emigration to England...
, a 'Cape Coloured
Cape Coloureds
The Cape Coloureds form a minority group within South Africa, however they are the predominant population group in the Western Cape. They are generally bilingual, however subsets within the group can be exclusively Afrikaans speakers, whereas others primarily speak English...
' 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 John Vorster 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
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
(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
New Zealand women's cricket team in South Africa in 1971–72
-2nd Test:-3rd Test:-Tour matches:New Zealand played six matches, coming against:* 19 February 1972: Transvaal Women* 23 February 1972: Western Province Women* 3 March 1972: South African XI Women* 6 March 1972: Women's Invitation XI...
. Only three members of the 1960 South Africa team returned to compete against New Zealand: Jennifer Gove
Jennifer Gove
Jennifer Anne Gove is a former South Africa women's Test cricketer. She made seven Test appearances for South Africa between 1960 and 1972, with her 256 runs making her the leading Test run-scorer for her country....
, Lorna Ward
Lorna Ward
Lorna Grace Ward is a former South Africa Test cricketer. She is South Africa's leading wicket-taker in women's Test cricket, having claimed 27 wickets in her seven Test appearances, and taking five-wicket hauls on three occasions. She played in South Africa's first match in Test cricket at St...
and Maureen Payne
Maureen Payne
Maureen Payne is a former South Africa Test cricketer. She captained the side for their second series, played against New Zealand in 1971–72. She appeared in five Tests for South Africa, claiming eight wickets.-External links:...
. 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.
Explusion 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 19641964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
and 1968 Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
were followed by expulsion from the Olympic Movement
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
in 1970. Later in the same year South African athletes were suspended from international competition by the International Amateur Athletics Federation
International Association of Athletics Federations
The International Association of Athletics Federations is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded in 1912 at its first congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation...
. 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 (ICC) imposed a moratorium on tours in 1970. Despite the official boycott, cricket tours of South Africa did continue. Derrick Robins
Derrick Robins
Derrick Harold Robins, often known as D. H. Robins was an English cricketer and sports promoter, at one time chairman of Coventry City Football Club. He was born in Bexleyheath, Kent....
took teams in 1973, 1974 and 1975, while an 'International Wanderers' side also toured in 1976.
In 1977, heads of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
of the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
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
Gleneagles Agreement
The Gleneagles Agreement was unanimously approved by the Commonwealth of Nations at a meeting at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland. In 1977, Commonwealth Presidents and Prime Ministers agreed, as part of their support for the international campaign against apartheid, to discourage contact and...
, 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
South African 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 South Africa was throughout this period banned from international cricket due to the apartheid regime...
began. Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott OBE is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's most successful opening batsmen...
and Graham Gooch
Graham Gooch
Graham Alan Gooch OBE DL is a former 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, he became the most prolific run scorer of all time with 67,057 runs...
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
Kim Hughes
Kimberley John Hughes is a former cricketer who played for Western Australia, Natal and Australia. He captained Australia in 28 Tests between 1979 and 1984 before captaining a "rebel" Australian team in a tour of South Africa, who at the time were subject to a sporting boycott.A right-handed...
toured twice in 1985–96 and 1986–87, while a second English XI, this time led by Mike Gatting
Mike Gatting
Michael "Mike" William Gatting OBE is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex and for England from 1977 to 1995, captaining the national side in twenty-three Test matches between 1986 and 1988...
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
Kim Price
Kim Price in Cape Town. She is a former South African cricketer who played 26 women's one-day internationals including the 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup in India and the 2000 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.-References:...
, 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
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 against India. 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 IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1997. In addition to marking their return, the three-match women's One Day International (ODI) series against Ireland 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
Whitewash (sport)
A whitewash is an informal term in sport describing a game or series in which the losing person or team fails to score.A whitewash may be in a single game where the loser fails to score any points or goals, or in a series where the loser fails to win a game...
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
Women's Cricket World Cup
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup is a Women's one-day international cricket competition. The first tournament was held in England in 1973, two years before the first men's ICC Cricket World Cup....
. South Africa qualified from the group stage courtesy of their third place finish—behind Australia and England—and met hosts India in the quarter-finals. Batting first, South Africa only managed to make 80, with Daleen Terblanche
Daleen Terblanche
Magdalena Terblanche , generally known as Daleen Terblanche, is a former South African cricketer...
and Cindy Eksteen
Cindy Eksteen
Cindy Elizabeth Eksteen is a former South Africa and Orange Free State international cricketer. She made one Test, and 36 One Day International appearances for South Africa from 1997 until 2004....
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 AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
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, 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 Cup2000 Women's Cricket World Cup
The 7th IWCC Women's Cricket World Cup was held in New Zealand from 29 November to 23 December 2000.Teams from New Zealand, Australia, England, India, Ireland, South Africa, Sri Lanka and The Netherlands played each other once in a round robin format to determine the semi finalists.Australia...
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
2005 Women's Cricket World Cup
The 8th IWCC Women's Cricket World Cup was held in South Africa from 22 March to 10 April 2005.Teams from New Zealand, Australia, England, India, Ireland, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies played each other once in a round robin format to determine the semi finalists.3 centuries were scored...
which was being held in South Africa, two years after they had hosted the men's competition
2003 Cricket World Cup
-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
. 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. 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 EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. They won all their matches in the 2007–08 ICC Women's World Cup Qualifying Series, beating Pakistan by 8 wickets in the final, and securing their place in the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup
2009 Women's Cricket World Cup
The 2009 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the tournament and was held in Australia from 7 to 22 March 2009, using the sport's One Day International format....
.
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 AssociationWomen's Cricket Association
The Women's Cricket Association 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...
, 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 CupWomen's Cricket World Cup
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup is a Women's one-day international cricket competition. The first tournament was held in England in 1973, two years before the first men's ICC Cricket World Cup....
- 1973 to 1993: Did not participate
- 19971997 Women's Cricket World Cup-Semi-finals:India and Australia both qualified for the semi finals, and faced each other on Christmas Eve at Delhi. The start of the match was delayed for two hours and 15 minutes for bad light, and as a result each side was given 32 overs to bat. India won the toss, and captain Pramila Bhatt...
: Quarter finals - 20002000 Women's Cricket World CupThe 7th IWCC Women's Cricket World Cup was held in New Zealand from 29 November to 23 December 2000.Teams from New Zealand, Australia, England, India, Ireland, South Africa, Sri Lanka and The Netherlands played each other once in a round robin format to determine the semi finalists.Australia...
: Semi finals - 20052005 Women's Cricket World CupThe 8th IWCC Women's Cricket World Cup was held in South Africa from 22 March to 10 April 2005.Teams from New Zealand, Australia, England, India, Ireland, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies played each other once in a round robin format to determine the semi finalists.3 centuries were scored...
: 7th place - 20092009 Women's Cricket World CupThe 2009 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the tournament and was held in Australia from 7 to 22 March 2009, using the sport's One Day International format....
: 7th place
ICC Women's World Twenty20
- 20092009 ICC Women's World Twenty20The 2009 ICC Women's World Twenty20 competition took on a different format from that of the men's, having eight teams split into two pools followed directly by the semi-finals and final. All pool stage matches were played at the County Ground in Taunton...
: Group Stage - 20102010 ICC Women's World Twenty20The 2010 ICC Women's World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket tournament which was held in the West Indies from 5 May to 16 May 2010. The group stage matches were played at the Warner Park Sporting Complex on Saint Kitts. It was won by Australia, who defeated New Zealand in the final...
: Group Stage
ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier
- 2008: Won
ICC Women's Cricket Challenge (ODI)
- 20102010 ICC Women's Cricket Challenge-Group A:-Group B:-Fifth-place play-off:-Third-place play-off:-Final:-External links:...
: Won
ICC Women's Cricket Challenge (Twenty20)
- 20102010 ICC Women's Cricket Challenge-Group A:-Group B:-Fifth-place play-off:-Third-place play-off:-Final:-External links:...
: 3rd place
Current squad
This lists all the players who have appeared for South Africa in the past year, and all the formats they have played in during their international career.| Name | Age | Batting Style | Bowling Style | Forms | Shirt Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captain and Batsman | |||||
| Mignon du Preez Mignon du Preez Mignon du Preez is a South African cricketer. A right-handed batsman and occasional wicket-keeper, du Preez made her debut for the South Africa national women's cricket team in January 2007, aged seventeen... |
13 June 1989 (age 22) | Right-handed | — | ODI, Twenty20 | 22 |
| Batsman | |||||
| Cri-Zelda Brits Cri-Zelda Brits Cri-Zelda Brits, also written Crizelda Brits and Cri-zelda Brits is an international cricketer. A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler, Brits was originally called up to the South Africa national women's cricket team as an opening bowler in 2002... |
20 November 1983 (age 28) | Right-handed | Right arm medium-fast Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
Test, ODI, Twenty20 | 18 |
| Alison Hodgkinson Alison Hodgkinson Alison Lucille Hodgkinson in East London. She is a South African cricketer who has played three women's test matches and 32 women's one-day internationals for South Africa including the 2000 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand and the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup in South Africa.-Notes:... |
30 January 1977 (age 35) | Right-handed | Right arm leg break Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
Test, ODI, Twenty20 | ?? |
| Yolandi van der Westhuizen Yolandi van der Westhuizen Yolandi van der Westhuizen is an international cricketer who made two One Day International appearances for South Africa national women's cricket team in 2009.-External links:... |
11 December 1981 (age 30) | Right-handed | — | ODI, Twenty20 | ?? |
| All-rounders | |||||
| Shandre Fritz Shandre Fritz Shandre Alvida Fritz is an international cricketer who has made 30 One Day International and 8 Twenty20 International appearances for South Africa national women's cricket team since 2003... |
21 July 1985 (age 26) | Right-handed | Right arm medium | ODI, Twenty20 | 13 |
| Marizanne Kapp Marizanne Kapp Marizanne Kapp is an international cricketer who has made 2 One Day International and 3 Twenty20 International appearances for South Africa national women's cricket team since her debut in 2009.-External links:... |
4 January 1990 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right arm medium | ODI, Twenty20 | 6 |
| Sunette Loubser Sunette Loubser Sunette Loubser is a South African cricketer and the current captain of the South African national women's cricket team.... |
26 September 1982 (age 29) | Right-handed | Right arm off break Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
Test, ODI, Twenty20 | 3 |
| Kirstie Thomson Kirstie Thomson Kirstie Thomson is an international cricketer who has made 4 One Day International and 3 Twenty20 International appearances for South Africa national women's cricket team since her debut in 2009.-External links:... |
21 October 1988 (age 23) | Right-handed | Right arm medium | ODI, Twenty20 | ?? |
| Wicket-keepers | |||||
| Trisha Chetty Trisha Chetty Trisha Chetty , is a South Africa cricketer. She has made one Test, 29 Women's One Day International and 17 Twenty20 appearances for South Africa since 2007. Initially she batted at number seven or eight, but was quickly promoted up the order and from mid 2008 onwards has been opening the... |
26 June 1988 (age 23) | Right-handed | — | Test, ODI, Twenty20 | 8 |
| Bowlers | |||||
| Dinesha Devnarain Dinesha Devnarain Dinesha Devnarain is an international cricketer who has made 4 One Day International and 3 Twenty20 International appearances for South Africa national women's cricket team in 2008.-External links:... |
12 November 1988 (age 23) | Right-handed | Right arm medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
ODI, Twenty20 | ?? |
| Masabata Klaas Masabata Klaas Masabata Klaas is an international cricketer who has made one One Day International appearance and two Twenty20 International appearances for South Africa national women's cricket team since her debut in 2010.-External links:... |
3 February 1991 (age 21) | Right-handed | Right arm medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
ODI, Twenty20 | ?? |
| Shabnim Ismail Shabnim Ismail Shabnim Ismail , is a South Africa cricketer. She has made one Test and 15 Women's One Day International appearances for South Africa since 2007.-External links:... |
5 October 1988 (age 23) | Left-handed | Right arm fast-medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
Test, ODI, Twenty20 | 89 |
| Melissa Smook | 22 June 1989 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right arm medium Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
Twenty20 | ?? |
| Chloe Tryon Chloe Tryon Chloe-Lesleigh Tryon , is a South Africa cricketer. She has made one women's Twenty20 International appearance for South Africa On her debut for South Africa, a Twenty20 International against West Indies in the 2010 Women's World Twenty20, she claimed two wickets in her first over.-External links:... |
25 January 1994 (age 18) | Right-handed | Left arm medium-fast Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
ODI, Twenty20 | ?? |
| Dane van Niekerk Dane van Niekerk Dane van Niekerk is a South African cricketer. She was born in Pretoria, educated at Centurion High School and, after playing for Highveld Women and Northerns Women, was selected as part of the South Africa national women's cricket team for the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup in Australia... |
14 May 1993 (age 18) | Right-handed | Right arm leg break Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
ODI, Twenty20 | 81 |
Former players
National captains
Test cricket
Despite being the oldest, and originally only, form of cricket played by women internationally, South Africa have played just eleven Test matches, the most recent of these being in 2007. Since then, Twenty20Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
cricket has taken on a far more prominent and lucrative role, almost eliminating Test cricket from the women's game altogether. Of their eleven matches, more than half have been against England, and it was against them in 2003 that South Africa reached their highest innings total of 316. Only two South African batsmen have scored centuries in women's Test cricket; Yvonne van Mentz
Yvonne van Mentz
Yvonne van Mentz is a former South African cricketer. She scored South Africa's first century in Women's Test cricket, with an unbeaten 105 against England in the fourth Test played during the 1960/61 season. An all-rounder, she played four Test matches for South Africa, taking eight wickets and...
remained 105 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
against England in 1961, and Brenda Williams
Brenda Williams
Brenda Glynis Williams is a former South African cricketer. She scored South Africa's second century in Women's Test cricket, with 100 against New Zealand in the third Test played during the 1971/72 season. A right-handed bat and right-arm off break bowler, she played two Test matches for South...
was dismissed for 100 exactly against New Zealand
New Zealand women's cricket team
The New Zealand women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1935, when they lost to England. Since then they have only won two Tests, once against Australia, and once against South Africa....
in 1972. Despite their achievements, Jennifer Gove
Jennifer Gove
Jennifer Anne Gove is a former South Africa women's Test cricketer. She made seven Test appearances for South Africa between 1960 and 1972, with her 256 runs making her the leading Test run-scorer for her country....
has the highest aggregate of runs for South Africa, totalling 256 from her seven appearances. Three South African bowlers have taken five-wicket hauls; Lorna Ward
Lorna Ward
Lorna Grace Ward is a former South Africa Test cricketer. She is South Africa's leading wicket-taker in women's Test cricket, having claimed 27 wickets in her seven Test appearances, and taking five-wicket hauls on three occasions. She played in South Africa's first match in Test cricket at St...
did so on two occasions, and Jean McNaughton
Jean McNaughton
Jean Fay Field is a former Southern Transvaal and South Africa Test cricketer. A right-arm medium-fast bowler and tail-end right-handed batsman, McNaughton made three Test appearances for her country...
and Sunette Loubser
Sunette Loubser
Sunette Loubser is a South African cricketer and the current captain of the South African national women's cricket team....
have both done so once. McNaughton has the best bowling figures for South Africa in a Test match innings, having claimed six wickets and allowing 39 runs from her bowling against England in 1960.
ODI cricket
- Highest team total: 258/7 v PakistanPakistani women's cricket teamThe Pakistan national women's cricket team is a professional cricket team that represents Pakistan in international women's cricket matches.-1990s:...
, 16 December 1997 at Baroda, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... - Highest individual innings: 101 not out, Linda OlivierLinda OlivierLinda Olivier is a former South African cricketer. She was the first South African woman to score a century in a Women's One Day International, making 101* against Ireland in December 2000.-External links:...
v IrelandIrish women's cricket teamThe Irish women's cricket team is the team that represents Ireland in international women's cricket matches. Unlike their male counterparts, they currently have both Test and ODI status...
, 16 December 2000 at ChristchurchChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... - Best innings bowling: 4/4, Cindy EksteenCindy EksteenCindy Elizabeth Eksteen is a former South Africa and Orange Free State international cricketer. She made one Test, and 36 One Day International appearances for South Africa from 1997 until 2004....
v IrelandIrish women's cricket teamThe Irish women's cricket team is the team that represents Ireland in international women's cricket matches. Unlike their male counterparts, they currently have both Test and ODI status...
, 5 August 1997 at BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...