Exclusive: Women’s Cricket Booming in South Africa, Says CSA’s Enoch Nkwe

Enoch Nkwe, the Cricket South Africa Director of national teams and high performance, expressed his excitement for the bright future of Women's cricket in South Africa. 

The rise of women's domestic cricket

August is Women's Month in South Africa, a month that is meant to commemorate the 1956 women's march to the Union Buildings in protest of the Pass Laws.

The month-long celebration honours the contributions of women to the struggle against apartheid and their ongoing role in shaping South African society.

Now, 31 years into a democratic South Africa, the sacrifices made by women in the past have had a lasting positive impact on the country.

In sport, with cricket in particular, the game is growing at an exponential rate, with women's domestic cricket having turned professional two years ago.

Now, domestic women's cricketers compete in two professional competitions, the Hollywoodbets Pro 50 and Pro 20, a set of competitions that are meant to elevate the women's structure in the country.

In the two seasons that the domestic scene has been professional, exceptional talent has emerged with the likes of Ayanda Hlubi, Miane Smit and Karabo Meso breaking into the Proteas Women's team in the process.

South Africa has always produced talented women's cricketers; however, what stands out this time around is how quickly these youngsters have acclimatised to international cricket, a feat that could be attributed to the professionalisation of women's domestic cricket.

In an exclusive interview with SportsBoom.co.za, the Cricket South Africa Director of national teams and high performance, Enoch Nkwe, emphasised that the governing body will continue to find ways to improve a structure that is already doing well for the national team.

Nkwe highlighted that Proteas women's coach Mandla Mashimbyi and executive for domestic cricket Eddie Khoza are doing the necessary work to try and close the gap between domestic and international cricket.

"Women's domestic cricket is moving and it's exciting. It's moving forward, and we will continue to look at the small areas that we can improve in line with our national strategy, national plans," Nkwe told SportsBoom.co.za.

"The work that Mandla and Eddie have been doing over the last couple of months to try and glue it (domestic and international cricket), it's been fantastic. Mandla has been going on road shows."

"So we are happy in terms of the direction that women's cricket as a whole is going and we'll keep looking at ways and areas to try and close the gap and improve the women's structures as a whole."

State of Proteas women

While the country is celebrating women's month, the Proteas women's cricketers are hard at work in preparation for next month's tour to Pakistan, a tour that will lead into the 2025 ICC Women's ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Nkwe told SportsBoom.co.za that they are happy with the progress the national team has made as they have played two ICC event finals in the 2023 and 2024 T20 Women's World Cups, respectively.

"I'm happy in terms of how the team has progressed so far. I know coach Mandla has been zoning in on strengthening the batting, especially 50 over cricket, over the last couple of months, not concerned about the outcomes of the series that we've played since May," said Nkwe.

"From our end, it was important that we solidify the blueprint all around, and we continue to work on that. We are in the place where there have been many camps he's been running, and the team we feel is on track."

"We've got a massive month, the women's month, but it's also a massive month for the Proteas this month in terms of the national camps building into the series against Pakistan next month, which will then build into the World Cup."

"So, the team wants it and we're going for it at the cricket World Cup. We need to try and build on the momentum from the T20 World Cup last year, going to this World Cup. So, I'm happy in terms of the progress of the team with where it's at and where it's heading."

Proteas women are set to play England Women on 03 October at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for their opening fixture of the 2025 ICC Women's ODI World Cup.