Exclusive: Nadine De Klerk Warns of No Room for Error as Proteas Women Prepare for ICC World Cup

The Proteas women have been on a steady rise in recent years. 

While they've shown some inconsistency in bilateral series, their performances in knockout competitions have been strong — reaching two T20 finals and one ODI semi-final in their last three ICC events.

As they gear up to face the West Indies in three T20Is and three ODIs, head coach Mandla Mashimbyi and his squad will be focused on refining their game ahead of the upcoming 50-over World Cup, and central to those preparations is all-rounder Nadine de Klerk.

De Klerk was part of the squad that last toured the West Indies in 2021, where South Africa earned a 1-1 draw in the T20 series and dominated the ODIs with a 4-0 win. 

They also last met the West Indies in the group stage of the T20 World Cup last October, securing a convincing 10-wicket victory — a result that should boost their confidence going into the upcoming tour.

History counts for little

While De Klerk believes past results won't hold much weight this time, she sees the tour as a valuable opportunity to build momentum and sharpen the team ahead of the global tournament.

“We went to the West Indies a couple of years ago, and we had a good tour, De Klerk told SportsBoom.co.za.

“You can never underestimate any international team. We have gone and seen how much the women's game has evolved and also how much teams have improved.”

“They have some good players on their side, and even though we beat them in the ODIs and drew the T20 series, we still want to go there and try to beat them with conviction and really put on a show.”

“With time running out in preparation for the 50-over World Cup, we want to be clinical and nail our plans."

“We expect them to come hard, and with all their improvements, it should be a good challenge for us.”

Momentum plays a key role

The 2025 ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup is just a few months away and will be hosted in India. 

Following a disappointing Tri-Series performance — which included India and Sri Lanka — where the Proteas failed to reach the final, De Klerk believes the upcoming series against the Windies will be key in addressing the team’s shortcomings.

“There’s not much time left before the World Cup — probably just six matches to prepare — so it’s crucial that we find our rhythm and fine-tune what we need to,” she continued.

Looking ahead, she added, “We want to continue playing the brand of cricket we’ve shown in recent months and, hopefully, see better results.”

“Momentum will be vital heading into the World Cup, and we want to carry that with us.”

The 25-year-old acknowledged the value of adapting to different conditions and remained optimistic despite the team’s struggles to reach the final in the recent Tri-Series.

“The climate will be similar to what we’ll face in India — hot and humid — and definitely not the easiest to play in.”

“From a bowling point of view, there were a lot of good things and also a few things to work on, and from the batting side, we scored two scores of over 300, and it's a real positive for us and a true reflection of the brand of cricket we want to play."

“We have done well, especially in T20 cricket; we probably expect a bit more this time around as we have done well in World Cups specifically."

“We probably haven’t had the results in the Tri-Series or any bilateral series, which is disappointing because you want to win those as well."

The impact of Mashimbyi since taking over

The former Titans coach will be leading the side in what will be his first World Cup since taking over from interim coach Dillon du Preez.

“He has had a huge impact so far; change is good, and it's been a breath of fresh air, to be honest — to have someone that comes up with different ideas and different ways of doing things.”

“He has been great and giving players a lot of freedom, backing, and support."

"We have worked on a lot of specific things since he has joined, like training a bit differently and practicing a lot of different scenarios.”

“The team dynamics have been different since he arrived. We haven’t seen the results yet, but if we grasp the process and continue doing what we are doing, I definitely think we are going to reap the rewards very soon.”