Chloe Tryon admits South Africa’s recent one-day record against England is nothing to boast about – two wins from eight – yet she is not losing sleep over the numbers. “The team has changed a lot over the last couple of years,” she told reporters on Wednesday. “We’ve got some young players coming in and we’ve got a lot of experienced players, and everyone’s just taken up their role really beautifully. And the way that we’ve worked behind the scenes has been really good, so I’m not looking at too much of the stats.”
That viewpoint travels with the squad to Guwahati, where they open their Women’s World Cup campaign on Friday. Since the sides last met in a 50-over series, South Africa have twice reached T20 World Cup finals, defeating England in the 2023 semi-final at Newlands along the way. Those runs, players insist, provide a truer reflection of where the group sits now.
Personnel turnover has been brisk. Only eight of the 15 who lost 2-1 at home to England last year are in India; five changes separate this touring party from the line-up that beat England in the 2022 World Cup group stage before bowing out to them in the semis. A new captain, keeper, pace leader and head coach – Mandla Mashimbyi – have joined, and a reshaped game plan has followed.
Mashimbyi, nine months into the post, has pushed a punchier style. South Africa dropped eight of ten ODIs between June 2024 and May 2025 but have since won four of six, admittedly against West Indies and Pakistan. Results aside, the batting looks deeper and a touch braver, evidenced by Laura Wolvaardt moving through the gears earlier and by Annerie Dercksen, another clean striker, slotting into the middle order.
Tryon, Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp arrive with fresh memories of the Women’s Hundred. Tryon’s own numbers – 31 runs in nine innings – were modest, yet the all-rounder valued the chance to study future opponents up close. “It’s a really good tournament to be part of and I obviously got to play with a couple of the England girls, which was pretty exciting,” she said. “Just watching them, how they go about their skill and how they go about their business is really good, so hopefully I can give a lot of insight to the team.”
At Southern Brave she shared a dressing-room with seamer Lauren Bell and opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge, two players she labelled “matchwinners”. Her admiration extends to England’s wider group. “As a unit they’re just really that strong,” Tryon added. “They’re led by one of the best all-rounders in the world (Nat Sciver-Brunt), and everyone just feeds off her. Every single one of them are matchwinners. We have to make sure that we show up with a lot of presence and we give 200%. We’ve shown that we can beat them in the past and we have, so we need to be really positive going into the first game.”
The Proteas’ bowling, stripped of the retired Shabnim Ismail, leans on Ayabonga Khaka for new-ball craft and Nadine de Klerk for control through the middle. Mashimbyi has encouraged more bouncers and fuller lengths – no radical reinvention, just tweaks aimed at forcing wickets rather than waiting for errors. The spinners, led by Nonkululeko Mlaba, may have a bigger say in Indian conditions than they often do at home.
England, for their part, bring form and familiarity. Sciver-Brunt’s weight of runs, Sophie Ecclestone’s left-arm spin and Bell’s swing mark out obvious threats. Yet South Africa will note that Heather Knight’s side have occasionally stumbled when their top order misfires. Early breakthroughs could flip pressure that way.
For Wolvaardt, the contest doubles as her first World Cup as full-time captain. She is a naturally introverted leader, still choosing her moments to speak, but teammates report a growing authority. Kapp and Sune Luus handle plenty of on-field strategy; Tryon, the vice-captain, is the louder voice in the huddle. That mix appears to work.
How far can they go? Semi-finals feel a reasonable target; anything beyond would match the men’s surge in 2023 and cap a remarkable rebuild. For now, the focus is narrower: settle early nerves, post a competitive total (or chase calmly) and prove, at least to themselves, that recent gains translate to 50-over cricket.
Numbers from the past say England are favourites. The mood inside the Proteas camp says those numbers are dated. Friday will offer the first hard evidence either way, and Tryon, as ever, is not reading too much into the stats.
