12 hours ago
Proteas Women coach Mandla Mashimbiyi kicks of tenure with a bang
Just his second tour in charge of the Proteas Women and coach Mandla Mashimbiyi is looking like he's shaping up some future World Cup holders.
The Proteas Women defeated the West Indies by 50 runs in the first of three T20 matches on Friday night, where Tazmin Brits (98 not out) did most of the heavy lifting with the bat.
All rounder Nadine de Klerk said Mashimbiyi has instilled a decent amount of positive intent in the ladies, especially in the attitudes towards which they approach the game.
Brits was the only Proteas to put up a score on Friday night, contributing more than half to the Proteas 183 runs which they set. Throughout this series, since the first ODI match in Barbados, the Proteas have batted first as conditions in the Caribbean favour the bowlers.
But the green and gold showed that statistics and analysis only count for a meagre amount when it comes to the game of cricket, which is why it is played on the field and not on paper.
But the statistics under Mashimbiyi look good so far, in his first West Indies's T20 series outing as coach.
'We just had the one T20 training session before the game, it was a pretty tight schedule but we did a lot of stuff in training. I know there weren't a lot of batters that scored runs but everyone went out there and tried to go for it," said De Klerk.
'I think the positive intent we are batting with is really good to see. Even in the ODI's, we reached 300 runs in six out of our 12 innings and made 180 today (on Friday).
"I think him really promoting positivity, taking the game on and not being scared to fail is really paying off for us as a side."
De Klerk said Brits' innings of 98 not out was one of the best innings she has seen in women's cricket, taking the West Indies on despite the lack of support from the other end.
Mashimbiyi's 'bomb squad', made up of Annerie Dercksen, De Klerk and Chloe Tryon did not make any real contributions on Friday night besides De Klerk's 21 off 17 balls.
Experience has counted when it matters for the Proteas Women, with Brits and Marizanne Kapp having a consistent series so far.
Kapp has been instrumental with the ball since joining the squad at the beginning of the tour, snatching 2/27 from three overs on Friday night.
'In the ideal world, we would like everybody to contribute. Taz scored 70% of our runs today (Friday night) but I think we know what we have in our team and sometimes its different people raising their hands up every single game.
"In the ODI's, we had a few different girls putting in some performances as well. But hopefully we just take a lot of confidence out of this win,' De Klerk said.
