South Africa on a mission to shed the tag of perpetual chasers

In a nutshell: South Africa have made a happy habit of qualifying for finals, featuring in three successive World Cup summit clashes across formats since 2023. The catch: they failed to cross that finish line on all those instances. And in many ways, the narrative around their upcoming Women's T20 World Cup campaign centers around whether they can finally lay their hands on that elusive trophy.

The squad is stacked with experience and a group of players who have been a common presence across the last few ICC events. Shabnim Ismail and Dane van Niekerk are back after reversing their retirements, bolstering South Africa's stocks with further experience. Laura Wolvaardt has seamlessly stepped into the shoes of captaincy and continues to pillage runs with unparalleled consistency. The batting elsewhere is loaded with match-winners, the bowling unit doesn't lack variety and they are a safe fielding side. Only one thing remains - converting years of pursuit into a world title.

Squad: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Kayla Reyneke, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon, Dane van Niekerk

Best XI: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Sune Luus, Tazmin Brits, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon/Annerie Dercksen, Nadine de Klerk, Kayla Reyneke, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka, Shabnim Ismail

Players to keep an eye on:

Shabnim Ismail:Three years since Ismail hung up her boots from international cricket after the heartbreak of the 2023 T20 World Cup final, the speedster has taken a U-turn on that call. Back with unfinished business to complete her CV, she still remains one of the fastest bowlers in the game. She steps in to reprise her role as the pace spearhead capable of breaking games open in the Powerplay and enters the tournament with a four-fer against Australia in a warmup game.

Kayla Reyneke: The new finisher on the block, who announced herself with a last-ball six on T20I debut to snatch a thriller against Pakistan - and repeated the same against New Zealand on ODI debut. The 20-year old all-rounder has played just nine T20Is but boasts of a strike-rate of 157.42, aside from 5 wickets with her tidy off-spin. Reyneke dovetailing with Nadine de Klerk gives South Africa a power-hitting finisher duo that few teams boast of. As she embraces the big stage early in her career, the factor of the unknown that she brings with her could unsettle teams in the tournament.

What's in the news:Anneke Bosch, the star of South Africa's famous 2024 semifinal win over Australia, has been left out after a poor run of scores. Marizanne Kapp tuned up with a 49 against Australia and a four-fer against Ireland in the warmups, having missed the India series in April due to illness. Van Niekerk is fit again after missing the series against New Zealand and India with a calf injury, although she is yet to bowl in a competitive game this year.

Where they finished in 2024: Agonisingly close to their first title, falling short at the final hurdle against New Zealand.

How have they performed since then: 10-11 in 21 completed games. They were whitewashed by England but drubbed India 4-1. They've also dropped series to West Indies and New Zealand along the way.

The big game: While the Australia game ought to catch eyeballs with South Africa landing the knockout punch in 2024, the clash against India could shape up as a virtual knockout if the rest of the results play out along expected lines.

A record in sight: Wolvaardt is 236 runs away from becoming the first South African to score 3000 runs in Women's T20Is. Ismail, meanwhile, needs seven more wickets for her 50th in T20 World Cups - a mark that no bowler has reached in women's cricket although Australia's Megan Schutt (48) could get there first.

Realistic expectation: "Hopefully we're able to make one (more final) again and can play a really good game of cricket when we get to that point," Wolvaardt said at the Captains' Carnival ahead of the tournament. Despite the challenges that beckon in the group stage, getting out of it and past the semifinal should be non-negotiable considering the squad South Africa have.

League stage schedule: