Mandla Mashimbyi stresses importance of winning mentality for Proteas Women

Mashimbyi’s team will have yet another opportunity to lift a much elusive ICC trophy when they take part in the T20 World Cup in England in the coming winter, with the aim of finally getting the monkey off their collective back. 

He says they have all the talent they need to win any tournament, but need to also start thinking like winners.

"Yeah, I think the biggest thing is belief, you know we've done wonderful things but I think just creating this environment where winning becomes a habit and also making players understand the impact that they can have in this environment. Not only as cricketers but as humans as well,” Mashimbyi said.

“So, we'll still push for that but at the same time we need to start thinking like winners. Which means obviously we're gonna start training like winners and we're gonna start operating like winners and hopefully that is the edge that we need for us to actually cross that line if the opportunity presents itself again. 

“We're gonna work bloody hard to make sure that we get to that final again because we've had that taste and we would want to cross the line this time around."

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South Africa’s senior women have gotten to three consecutive ICC World Cup finals in both white ball formats but came up short in all of them, including the most recent 50-over one in India. 

Mashimbyi says rather than look at results and a failure, he believes that it shows they’re doing something right.

"To be honest with you I just feel like it's a wonderful thing to do. Yes, everybody wants to cross that line but the fact that we've made finals three times in a row, it's a wonderful thing and it's a wonderful space to be in as a team because you know that you are doing something right.” the coach added.

“I just feel like my thing is to get the players to start appreciating and not feel that they are failures because we're not crossing the line. The fact that we actually are getting there shows that we're doing something right. 

“On the day maybe, just not on our day but all in all South African women's team is actually a force in world cricket as it stands."