Proteas Women Crumble Under Pressure: Mental Strength Key to Rebuilding After England Defeat

South Africa lost both the T20 (3-0) and ODI (2-1) series’ to England, and they were recently beaten in the one-off Test match on day three of four by a heavy 286 runs. 

Batting Challenges

The common factor in all three series defeats has largely been down to poor showing with the bat, where they have either easily left the winds of power shift, or they have struggled to recover after losing a few key early wickets.

England was cruising and dictating terms at 167/4 at lunch on day three, with a healthy lead of 281 runs. A spirited performance with the ball led by spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba (6/67) in the morning and lunchtime intervals saw South Africa restrict the visitors to a chasable target of 351 runs to win.

The platform was well set for a grandstand finish with one session and a full day's play still left in the match.

The Mangaung Oval wicket was still playing fairly well, and despite the collapse that saw them lose seven wickets for 44 runs in the first innings, the expectation would have been for South Africa to take the contest deep into the final day.

It wasn’t to be, though, as a relentless opening new ball spell from Lauren Filer (1/12) and namesake Lauren Bell (4/27) ripped through South Africa’s top and middle order to leave them in tatters at 44/7, and with that their golden chance had turned into dust.

England went on to bowl the Proteas out for 64 runs, their lowest-ever Test total, with the visitors securing their first Test win in over a decade and completing a great comeback tour ahead of the Ashes and successfully making a solid statement after a disappointing showing at the T20 World Cup earlier this year.

Coach Mandla Mashimbyi told Sportsboom.com that he was happy with the team's performance prior to the collapse, especially considering the limited time they had to prepare for the match.

“I thought we played good cricket, and we competed nicely. There were moments when I thought this team was growing, and if I had to take away the last session of day three, I thought the girls fought all the way through.”

“Maybe our breaking point came just a little bit earlier than England could experience theirs, but that is something we will need to work on because it's a mental thing.”

“In terms of ability, I thought we were up there; we had two days to prepare, and I thought we did nicely, but I guess it was not enough to get the desired result.”

The need to overcome mental challenges

South Africa convincingly beat England by six wickets in the first ODI, and with two matches still left to play, they were well set to claim their first series win against the former world champions.

Laura Wolvaardt (35) and Annerie Dercksen (29) recovered from a shaky start that saw them fall to 14/2 in the second encounter. Their fourth wicket stand of 58 looked to have restored order, but the fall of Dercksen opened the floodgates as they went from 72/2 to 135 all out in just 31.3 overs.

Mashimbyi added that some of the collapses came down to not being mentally strong, but it is an area they will put a lot of focus on moving ahead.

“There are two things you will have to look into when you analyze collapses: Is it a mental thing, or is it a technical thing? And then once you have identified what the problem is, then you can start working on it."

“But I think in most cases with our team it is more a mental thing than technical because I think the girls have the right techniques to deal with what's in front of them. From a mental point of view, when a lot of things are happening around them, maybe we just go a little bit soft.”

“But to improve on that will depend on the intensity with which we prepare, and hopefully it will take them out of their comfort zone and maybe make them mentally stronger.”