Durban - Has anyone else been following the Women’s Cricket World Cup being played in New Zealand? Or have you been ignoring it, jaded by the history of our men’s team in major tournaments?
I haven’t been able to watch a complete match yet, but with live scoring available on several websites, I follow the Proteas Women’s progress keenly, and I can tell you, this team deserves a lot more attention and support from us Saffers.
With four wins from four games in the group stage so far, they are one of the form teams of the tournament and have one foot in the semis.
Two of these came against the highly fancied England and New Zealand teams, and both turned out to be nail-biters, with the Proteas squeaking home in the 50th over in each instance.
There are concerns, of course, like making a low 207 and not lasting the full 50 overs batting first against unfancied Bangladesh and securing a narrow six-run win against Pakistan.
The next three games ‒ against Australia, West Indies and India ‒ will be the litmus test, but dare I say, the team’s progress so far gives us cause for hope?
Given our history of heartbreak in the men’s game, I wouldn’t blame anyone for hesitating.
Still, the Proteas women have given us much to be proud of and deserve more support than they’ve received so far.
Let’s get behind them and will them on to success.
The Independent on Saturday