South African captain Sune Luus has called for increased effort from CSA and government in funding and developing women’s cricket. The Proteas reached the final of the T20 World Cup, where they lost to Australia on Sunday. Women’s cricket in South Africa has made significant strides in recent years, but there is a long way to go.
Proteas captain Sune Luus has challenged Cricket South Africa (CSA) and government to further invest in women’s cricket development following her side’s superb showing at the T20 World Cup.
The Proteas, the first South African cricket side to compete in a senior World Cup final, lost to Australia in Sunday’s tournament decider at Newlands.
It was Australia’s seventh straight appearance in a T20 World Cup final and their sixth title overall as Meg Lanning and her charges solidified their status as the greatest women’s cricket side of all time.
READ MORE: Australia Women Reigns Supreme in T20 World Cup
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A massive thank you to each and every one of the 12 782 fans who packed out Newlands for the #T20WorldCup Final 🙏#AlwaysRising #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/WMZc6BHMKc
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) February 27, 2023
The Proteas could hold their heads high when one considers the gap in professionalism between the South African and Australian women’s set-up.
While CSA has made significant strides in recent years with national contracts awarded to the country’s top women players, there is still a long way to go.
Australian cricket, for example, has a functioning domestic and provincial women’s set-up, while the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) has also added serious depth.
From top to bottom, the Australian women’s cricket structure has benefitted from funding, planning and a thriving club system that feeds into the domestic set-up.
In South Africa, meanwhile, there are challenges at both school and club levels, and Luus says the time has come for CSA and government to do all they can to open up that pipeline and get women’s cricket played.
“I hope so,” said Luus when asked if that responsibility was now firmly at the door of CSA.
“We’ve done our best to give the girls in the country the best possible chance. Obviously, we would have liked to win [the final], but I don’t think we could have given it a better shot.
“I think it’s up to CSA, the Minister of Sport and whoever is in charge of cricket in this country to knock on doors and open doors and give women’s cricket the best chance it can have to keep up with an Australia, England and India.”
The upcoming women’s IPL, and the money accompanying that tournament, is set to revolutionise the women’s game even further, and Luus is hopeful that South Africa will launch its own T20 product soon.
“The IPL is next, and that’s going to be massive for women’s cricket as well,” she said.
“Hopefully, it grows from there, and hopefully, we will get a women’s SA20. That would really help South African women’s cricket get that depth we’ve been discussing.
“If you look at all the top teams, they also have those leagues, which is a big part of why they’re so good.
“It’s something we really need to look at. We’ve been asking for a very long time for an SA league. I know it’s budget constraints, and there are always resources and all those things, but we’ve given our girls the best chance we could have, and now it’s up to CSA and everyone involved to make it happen.”
