South Africa open their campaign against Australia in Manchester on Saturday, having reached the final in each of the last three ICC global tournaments without lifting the trophy.
The Proteas Women lost in the 2023 and 2025 T20 World Cup finals and in the 2025 50-over World Cup final.
Drawn in a daunting group alongside Australia and India, the Proteas are once again viewed as outsiders, but Mashimbyi insists his side is embracing that challenge.
“The only competition we have in this World Cup is how well we play every game we get the chance to play,” Mashimbyi told reporters on Thursday.
“At the end of the day, we need to make sure we cover all our bases and play cricket the way we want to play it. The focus will be on us.”
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The Proteas coach believes established powers such as Australia and England, along with former winner West Indies enter the tournament with a different mindset.
“Teams like Australia, England and the West Indies are trying to protect their history,” he said. “We want to create history. They’re protecting their legacy; we want to create a legacy.
“It’s about understanding those things and making sure we live up to that every time we get an opportunity to play.”
Despite South Africa’s recent success on the world stage, Mashimbyi understands why many still stop short of naming the Proteas among the favourites.
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“People are entitled to their opinions,” he said. “You can’t blame people for thinking we’re not favourites because other teams have done it and we still haven’t.
“We need to change that narrative, and the only way to change it is to make sure we go all the way this time around.”
Australia provide the first hurdle, but Mashimbyi has little interest in analysing whether the six-time champions are vulnerable.
“All I know is Australia are a world-class team,” he said. “Whether they’re going through a transition or not, I don’t care.
“I just want to make sure our girls believe they can beat them. We need to believe we’re good enough to compete against them and beat them.”
Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
