Former South African cricket international Claire Terblanche has come full circle in her career, the current Western Province women’s coach returning to the Proteas Women’s coaching staff as South Africa heads to the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Though this is not Terblanche’s first experience with the women’s national team – she was part of the team twenty years ago as one of the first of South Africa’s internationals in the new dispensation, and she has also previously been part of the coaching staff on a tour of India.
Terblanche says that being part of the team again is a dream come true: “It means the absolute world to me!”
“It’s been one of my massive goals and dreams, for me to be a part of a World Cup coaching team. I made my debut at the 50 Over World Cup in 2005 in South Africa, and in 2025, I get to be at another ODI World Cup, and this time as part of the coaching staff.
Proteas Women Assistance Coach, Claire Terblance
“It is just something that makes me feel extremely blessed for, and I feel extremely blessed as well. But obviously, this can’t happen without backing, without people supporting,” says Terblanche. “I mean, my own coaching staff back home, you know, as a coach, you never do these things on your own. There’s a journey, and there are people along that journey who help you along the way.”
She is extremely grateful for this opportunity and aims to make the most of it, while remaining focused on learning from the experience.
“My first tour with this group of coaches was to India, though this is my first time working with Mandla Mashimbyi. I am observing and learning from him, as well as from Baakier Abrahams, Dillon du Preez, and Bongani Ndaba, with whom I have toured before.”
“The discussions and planning with these coaches are insightful, and I hope to apply what I learn to my own coaching. I am especially grateful for the opportunity to learn from Dylan, whose World Cup experience brings valuable expertise to the team.”
Terblanche has witnessed significant growth in women’s cricket over the past two decades. She reflected on Cricket South Africa’s strong commitment to advancing the women’s game, providing opportunities not only for players but also for female coaches.
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“I think the women’s game has come a really, really long way, or a very long way from when I played provincial cricket, to what we are seeing now. What Cricket South Africa has put into the game over the years, especially club with HollywoodBets coming on board and giving that extra backing into the professional space.”
“I felt it was long overdue, but I’m glad that it is finally here, and I’m glad that I could be around, actually, to be a part of history when they did come on board as a partner to Cricket South Africa for a women’s provincial professional setup, and having me as a female coach on board now in the SA setup, I think it is something that Cricket South Africa is, you know, trying to have more and more in place.”
“With Dinesha Devnarain being the head coach of the academy and the Under-19s, she’s done well. She’s had a complete female management as well, and has done well with that. Cricket South Africa is moving in the right direction when it comes to the high-performance setup, and, you know, into the national setup as well. And I think we could only hope for more female coaches to come through and get chances at the next level. They can put it that way, outside of the provincial setup,” she added.
Terblanche is of the opinion that it’s not possible to compare how things are now with how they were when she played because of the vast and meaningful changes that have happened over the years.
“I don’t think it can actually be compared, because the strides are massive to when the woman played back in the day. I mean, the World Cup we played at university grounds, some club grounds, when it was in South Africa. Now you have got World Cups being played at stadiums.”
“You’ve got series being played at proper stadiums, you’ve got the future tours program and pay parity and pay equality. But one thing that should never be lost is that passion for the badge, and I think that it is still there.”
“I think that players still want to play for South Africa and with the added support into the woman space by Cricket South Africa it has allowed the game to grow exponentially from where it was to where it is today.”
Having been a player and now moved into coaching, Terblanche has some unique insight as she has experienced both sides of the sport. She says her leadership roles within her various teams as a player has helped shape who she is as a coach and how to best equip her players as they look to bring success to WP Cricket.
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“I think it’s more along the lines of, you know, I used to captain on the provincial side. I was a vice captain at the national level as well. I think being in those positions has allowed me to kind of think about what I wanted as a player from a coach, and then in my coaching space, use that and see how best I can equip the players through my own teachings, as well as having the proper coaching staff and support around me, who also feed into the growth of the players and the needs of the players.”
“So having that support, structural support circle with the same vision as growing a player, both on and off the field, I think has helped, with that in bringing trophies back to Western Province in both formats.”
The Proteas Women get their World Cup campaign underway days after the conclusion of their series against Pakistan. In recent years, Mandla Mashimbyi’s team has shown they have what it takes to go head-to-head with the top teams of women’s cricket. The fact that they were back-to-back finalists at the T20 World Cup is a testament to the growth of the squad. Terblanche says the team is now in a professional setup, and this is something that has been contributed to their successes along with the players’ exceptional skills.
“The team has really come along. But I think with that comes the added backing, be it, you know, extra coaching, support, professional skills coaches specific to each, you know, cricket skill that needs to be covered. So they are experts in their field. You know exactly the professional play, because now players can literally just play cricket and train cricket, and it’s their job, you know, and something that they love doing. So having that over the years has contributed to this team becoming World Cup trophy challenges because of all of that hard work behind the scenes, and then the hard work that the players put in themselves to get themselves to that level as a team.”
“So I do think that over the years, that has really contributed to where the team is today. And I think that, apart from the skill players being coachable at this level, has made the difference.”
“And I think you’ve seen the fruits of that at the T20 World Cups, where the finals have been made, kind of just missed out on crossing the line, but being contenders on the world stage has become something that is a definite reality.”
“I do think that the lifting of the trophy isn’t far off, but also not to get ahead of ourselves and take it game by game. And I think that’s how they’ve been doing it. And I think that’s all they’ll continue to do.”
South Africa will take on England, New Zealand, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, and current champions Australia, who will be looking to win their eighth World Cup trophy.
Main Photo Caption: Claire Terblanche has come full circle in her career, returning to the Proteas women’s coaching staff with news that the regular Western Province women’s coach has joined the national women’s cricket team’s coaching staff, as South Africa competes the 2025 Cricket World Cup. Photo: Pierre van Vuuren / CSA
Photo 2 Caption: Western Province Women’s Cricket head coach has been in charge since 2018, and her track record speaks volumes. Photo: File
Photo 3 Caption: Terblanche: “I do think that the lifting of the trophy isn’t far off, but also not to get ahead of ourselves and take it game by game.” Photo: Supplied
Photo 4 Caption: On her appointment, Terblanche’s answer was emphatic: “It means the absolute world to me!” Photo: Supplied
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