Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 – No DNA, only RSA – South Africa is moving towards a champion mentality

“No DNA, just RSA.”

Welcome to another lesson in South African slang.

Before the men’s T20 World Cup final earlier this year, ESPNcricinfo treated its readers to a short, sharp Afrikaans expression that came to sum up South Africa’s sporting achievements. “Hulle weet nie watons weet nie (They don’t know what we know)” is a rallying cry to remind South Africans of their difficult past, what sets them apart from people from elsewhere, and their determination, but it is not the only national proverb “No DNA, only RSA, A shorter, clearer phrase is also circulating on social media and is quite appropriate for the semi-final win over Australia in the Women’s T20 World Cup. It tells the story of not having anything inherently special about you or the systems around you, but channeling a hero’s mindset to overcome adversity to get to the top. That’s what South Africa did to record only their second T20I win over Australia in 11 attempts, their first in a World Cup and their most complete performance in a major semi-final. Winning by eight wickets with 16 balls to spare is what it looks like comprehensively, coming from a team that tasted victory over Australia for the first time earlier this year, having failed in eight attempts over 15 years. It also came from a team that made the right decisions against an opponent who had been tactically superior in women’s football for decades, who were unbeaten in a T20 World Cup match in 15 matches and unbeaten in a semi-final in 15 matches. years. Laura Wolvaardt’s decision to bowl initially went against the traditional knockout game wisdom of putting kicks on the board but was based on evidence. The chasing teams have won seven of the 11 matches played in Dubai, and still no one really knows what a good score will be on these grounds. Of the five T20Is Australia have lost since the last World Cup, four of them were when they batted first. “We feel that running on the board won’t necessarily impact that (Australian) unit. They look like they can chase what they want and they’re really up for the chase. So we thought bowling first suited us a little better. Hopefully they didn’t know how hard it was going to be,” Wolfhardt said afterwards. “And that’s what ended up happening.”

It wasn’t just uncharacteristic Australian uncertainty, it was that South Africa made it difficult for them, especially on the power play. With some swing on display, Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka were disciplined, and immediately afterwards the two players backed them up by bowling slowly and straight and their play was generally energetic. Boundary options were scarce for Australia, and by the end of the 16th over, they were down to just six. They finished with 11 fours, not six, and appeared to be “10 to 20 points short” in Wolfardt’s assessment.

However, watching South Africa chase down a knockout match at a World Cup finals is like riding an emotional roller coaster that starts with hope, then turns to anticipation, then turns to panic, and usually ends in disappointment. When Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits managed just four runs from their first two overs, a small but largely South African crowd became supportive, and the ensuing boundary did little to reduce their stress levels.

It was the first four games for the Brits thanks to an error from Annabel Sutherland at long on that brought Wolfhardt back from the brink. Even when the Brits nailed the game’s first half in the fourth inning, hearts were in throats. Risks, no matter how calculated, have historically not ended well for South Africa. When the Britons were thrown back by Sutherland’s Jaffa, familiar feelings of dread came back to life, especially because of who was next.

Anneke Bosch, with a strikeout rate of 72.97 from three innings before this match, could have easily failed. Instead, I took control of it.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Busch announced herself by sweeping Sophie Molyneux who beat deep midwicket and then danced down the track to send a single down midwicket, and Australia conceded their highest powerplay of this 43-run tournament. But Busch’s big strokes did not surprise Her own changing room. Over the past two weeks, anyone from the South African camp who was asked has confirmed that she was hitting the ball well into the net and that they were keeping it in the side because they thought it would come off well. They also insisted she would remain in third place, ahead of Kapp, because she helped manage their workload. None of it was convincing because of Bush’s record.

With just two fifty from her last 14 T20I innings – including 46 in Pakistan last month when she had to retire due to injury – Australia were unlikely to have earmarked Bosh as a game-changer, but Wolfhardt said her best career had been for a while. Long in preparation. “Enke and Packer (Abrahams), our hitting coach, meet for coffee for about an hour every day and just talk about hitting,” Wolfhardt said. “He was really interested in her case, chasing her down and making sure she talked to him about her options.”

Bush described Abrahams, who previously worked in the men’s regional sides in South Africa’s domestic system, as having “opened up a whole new world of batting for her” and boosted her confidence. “We talked about all the different options and tactics against different bowlers in different conditions. A lot of what happened today, we can take credit for. He kept believing in us, or in me, even after two bad games. He had my back and he had faith in me and told me that good innings were coming.” “

“Tune in to watch. There could be something very special happening for many South Africans in the next few days.”

South African captain Laura Wolfhardt after reaching her second successive final

So too are the much-lauded additions to South Africa’s coaching staff, who were appointed in May. Abrahams is their first full-time batting coach and has made a noticeable difference to their approach and many of their batting averages, but it is bowling consultant and former international Paul Adams who has made the biggest impact on their mentality. As a player who has reached the highest of expectations from becoming South Africa’s youngest Test cricketer at the age of 18, to one who has suffered the lowest of lows through falls, coaching hiccups in Western Province and the emotional turmoil of social justice and nation-building hearings. Adams has seen it all. He has used this knowledge to bring a new and innovative mentality to the team and do something special and new before every match.

This time it was meditation. “He got us all together, had us close our eyes, visualize that we’re here, listen to the sounds, listen to the noise and see ourselves being okay. It was like guided visualization,” Wolfhardt said.

Fortunately for South Africa, they have had some of the success they can imagine in their minds after beating Australia in Canberra earlier this year. Ten of the 11 players who took part in that match were in the semi-final squad and they all had their own reasons to believe. “It made us realize that it was possible to beat them this time because we had done it before,” Bush said.

As the great tennis player Billie Jean said: “If you can see it, you can be it,” and South Africa would do well to adopt this slogan as well. The women’s team has always represented a diverse cross-section of society, not only across the racial spectrum but also across the socioeconomic spectrum. Many of the players in this squad come from challenging backgrounds, where their basic needs were not met, let alone their sporting ambitions nurtured. Through development programmes, small amounts of financing and a lot of blind faith, here they are. Compare that with the Australian professional system which is far superior to any other system, and the meaning of “no DNA, just RSA” becomes clearer.

And here lies the magic in what the South African national team has already achieved. They’ve been giving masterclasses in the art of probability and they don’t intend to stop. “I try to make sure every day that I am an inspiration,” said Khaka, one of the greatest success stories in this regard. “Especially for people who come from certain areas where I come from. I just want to send a message: It’s possible. Anything you want, you can do.”

In February 2023, the South African women’s national team became the first major team to reach a World Cup final and they have done so again. Between the two achievements, the men’s team also reached the World Cup final. Is the next step to make a decision? “Listen to watch,” Wolfhardt said. “There could be something very special happening for many South Africans in the next few days.”

Firdaus Munda is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent for South Africa and women’s cricket