Protea women set for crucial ODI tri-series battle against Sri Lanka and India

The Proteas Women will compete in a one-day international (ODI) Tri-Series against Sri Lanka and India from 27 April – 11 May 2025 in Colombo; an important preparatory tour ahead of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in India.

All matches will be held at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, with the three teams playing each other twice before the top two sides meet in the final on Sunday, 11 May.

This tour will also mark South Africa’s first trip to Sri Lanka since the 2017 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers where they narrowly lost by one wicket to India in the final.

Head coach Mandla Mashimbyi stressed the significance of playing in the subcontinent ahead of the global showpiece. “When you look at India and Sri Lanka in their own conditions, you would rather play those teams there so you can understand what is needed for you to succeed in those types of conditions.

“Hopefully we can take the learnings out of these tours straight into the World Cup in October and be a lot better at executing the plans and executing from a skill point of view as well,” the coach noted.

In his first full tour at the helm after officially taking over during the inbound England tour in December last year, Mashimbyi and his support staff will use the series to refine combinations and provide opportunities for players.

“It's going to be key for us to really find the right combinations going into the World Cup after that. This tour will give us an opportunity to check which combinations work best for those conditions.

“Also, we want to give opportunities to players that I haven't seen much of. It's a good tour to give those players opportunities. At the same time, we still want to win, so it's important to find that balance between exposure and ensuring we have a team that will fight till the end,” he added.

South Africa heads into the series looking to improve on recent ODI results against Sri Lanka and India. The Proteas shared a drawn series against Sri Lanka in April last year, while India dominated their last bilateral series with a 3-0 win in Bangalore.

However, Mashimbyi insists his team’s focus will be inward. “Any team playing at home or in their conditions becomes a threat. We don't want to focus much on them; we want to focus on what we need to do to compete. The message I want to get through to our coaches and players is that we are going to focus on ourselves. Let’s prepare as best as we can and make sure we're ready,” the coach said.

With the domestic Hollywoodbets Pro50 competition concluding later this month, standout performances from Proteas Women players have been encouraging. Suné Luus smashed a career-best 153*, while Annerie Dercksen and Faye Tunnicliffe notched centuries, and Nondumiso Shangase bagged a four-wicket haul.

Mashimbyi underlined the importance of domestic dominance as a stepping stone to international success.

“We want players that perform week in, week out. Especially Proteas players going down to domestic cricket, they need to dominate that space to give others confidence to do the same. By doing so, we build a healthy ecosystem in women's cricket.

“Winning also becomes a habit. When you're under the pump internationally, you reflect on the processes that worked. That’s why domestic performances are crucial, that’s the only way we can know if players are ready,” he concluded.

Fixtures - ODI Tri-Series

Sunday, 27 April - 1st ODI - Sri Lanka v India (R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo)

Tuesday, 29 April - 2nd ODI: India v South Africa (R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo)

Thursday, 01 May - 3rd ODI: Sri Lanka v South Africa (R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo)

Sunday, 04 May - 4th ODI: Sri Lanka v India (R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo)

Tuesday, 06 May - 5th ODI: South Africa v India (R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo)

Thursday, 08 May - 6th ODI: Sri Lanka v South Africa (R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo)

Sunday, 11 May - Final: 1st Place v 2nd Place (R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo)

** Start times will be confirmed in due course.