South Africa's Proteas women have advanced to the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup final against India after defeating England in the semi-finals. Head coach Mandla Mashimbyi credits a cohesive team environment for their success. The match, set for Mumbai on November 2, 2025, offers both teams a chance at their first title.
The Proteas women's team, under head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, secured their place in the final with a dominant 125-run victory over England in Guwahati on October 29, 2025. Captain Laura Wolvaardt delivered a player-of-the-match performance, scoring 169 runs off 143 balls. This marks South Africa's third consecutive World Cup final appearance, following T20 defeats to Australia in 2023 and New Zealand in 2024, but their first in the 50-over format.
Mashimbyi, appointed 10 months ago after the T20 final loss, has focused on off-field cohesion rather than immediate results. 'When I came into the job, the one thing that I picked up was probably the division that was within the team,' he explained. To address this, he organized non-training camps to foster unity, leading to visible team spirit through shared cheers, embraces, and quirky awards like coins and WWE belts.
The tournament campaign featured five consecutive round-robin wins, interrupted by losses to England and Australia. Pre-tournament results were mixed, including a 2-1 ODI series defeat to England and an unconvincing 2-1 win over West Indies. Key contributors include all-rounders Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon, and Suné Luus, spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba, pacer Ayabonga Khaka, and fielder Tazmin Brits.
India advanced by chasing a record total against seven-time champions Australia, led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues. Kaur noted the potential impact of a win: 'When we win the final, there will be even more changes. We will see much more cricket, not only at the international level, but domestically.' Wolvaardt highlighted the pressure of playing in front of a home crowd but emphasized, 'Every cricket game starts at zero.'
President Cyril Ramaphosa wished the team success, hoping to welcome the trophy at OR Tambo International Airport. Mashimbyi, the third coach at a World Cup final after Hilton Moreeng and Dillon du Preez, urged focus on processes: 'If we can win those needs in that process, then I can tell you now we’re going to bring the trophy back home.' The final begins at 11:30 a.m. local time in Mumbai.