Dane van Niekerk says South Africa hope to emulate Siya Kolisi's Springboks, win maiden ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Sydney: The Springboks’ emotional World Cup triumph last year will inspire the South Africa women’s cricket team to try to emulate them at the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia, skipper Dane van Niekerk said on Sunday.

Siya Kolisi, South Africa’s first black test captain in 2018, helped transform the Springboks side who claimed their third World Cup triumph by beating England in the final in Japan.

South Africa have not advanced beyond the semi-finals in the women’s Twenty World Cup but Van Niekerk hopes to take them further in the 21 February-8 March tournament in Australia.

“I think the make-up of the whole squad makes for a really good show and I’m a big believer in the power of sport in uniting the country,” the all-rounder wrote in her column for the International Cricket Council website.

“No women’s team has won a World Cup before and we are hoping that as a team, we can unite the country in our own way, especially considering the challenges we face as women in South Africa.

“We are aiming to go out there and do something special for our country just like Siya Kolisi and the Springboks did in the Rugby World Cup in Japan.”

South Africa begin their Group B campaign against inaugural champions England in Perth on 23 February.