Creating World-Class batters with Proteas Women's batting coach Baakier Abrahams ahead of England tour

Following South Africa Women's defeat to the Blackferns in the T20 World Cup final in the UAE last month, batting coach Baakier Abrahams wants to use the upcoming multi-format tour against England to continue developing the batting line-up into a world-class standard.

Developing World-Class batters

Having unlocked new levels with stellar performances in last month's Women's T20 World Cup, Abrahams and his Laura Wolvaardt-led batting unit aim to use the home summer to continue their development.

South Africa will welcome England Women for a multi-format tour, one that will see the two sides compete in three T20Is, three ODIs and a one-off Four-Day Test match from 24 November to mid-December.

England Women are coming from an upsetting early exit at the World Cup in the UAE, however, Abrahams is determined to help the South African batting unit get to the next level starting with the England tour.

In an exclusive interview with SportsBoom, Abrahams reveals his goals with the batting unit.

"For us, it's always going to have a two-pronged approach. Firstly, we are still very young regarding our batting journey with the squad," Abrahams told SportsBoom.  

"With the players we do have, how can we really take them to the next level and make them world-class? Can we get them even better? Many of them have taken on some of the conversations we've had around the growth mindset.

"Let's try not to replicate past performances but let's exceed and push the boat out a little bit more to see how far we can go. We've got goals, we do want to develop into a world-class batting unit that thrives in all conditions.

"Whenever you play for South Africa, the responsibility is always going to be to win so you're juggling two or three balls where you want to grow players, you want to create opportunity to create depth in the system, give opportunity to some of the younger players while also challenging the senior players to deliver more.

"That's the exciting part where in two years the next World Cup in 2026 gives us enough time to push that boat out a little bit more and challenge those players. Everybody wants to grow, everybody wants to be challenged and when they see their growth they take on the task with excitement.

"Those are the exciting things that we are looking forward to from the England series but then again we want to be number one in the world. We've got to have that ambition, we've got to go in with eh mindset that we want to win every series and just because we might give opportunities to others doesn't mean it lessens the objective."

Becoming an adaptable batting unit

South Africa played in their second successive World Cup final last month, an achievement that has been celebrated at length, but the team did struggle against spin particularly in Sharjah during the showpiece event.

Abrahams wants to see the unit make considerable strides in the upcoming series and given that the series will also be played in East London, Durban, Bloemfontein and Kimberly, all venues known for taking spin, Abrahams batting unit will have an opportunity to fine-tune their plans against spin.

With the 25-year-old slow-left arm orthodox, Sophie Ecclestone, a part of the touring England Women's team, South Africa will get the test needed to better their game plans against spin as Ecclestone is easily the best spinner in the world in white ball cricket.

"What I'd like to see is for us to continue to play on the front foot and for us to be able to assess the conditions," said Abrahams.  

"It might be our home series but for a lot of these ladies, the series is going to be played in tier two venues mostly, play tier one cricket which is basically Western Province, Dolphins, Pretoria and Johannesburg, That's where the majority of our players are coming from.

"So, we have to be more adaptable in our home conditions and that's exciting because when we can show that level of adjustments that can be made within a two or three-day turnaround. Then when we get to the World Cup or when we get to the subcontinent conditions, our skill set will speak to be able to be successful in those conditions.

"That's how you build a batting unit that can adapt and that's how you can get to number one when you can play around the world and have the skill set and the game to be able to do it. That's the journey that we are on with the batting line-up right now."

Fixtures (24 November - 15 December)

T20I Series

Sunday, 24 November at 14h00 - 1st T20I: South Africa vs England - Buffalo Park Stadium, East London. 
Wednesday, 27 November at 18h00 - 2nd T20I: South Africa vs England - Willowmoore Park, Benoni.
Saturday, 30 November at 18h00 - 3rd T20I: South Africa vs England - SuperSport Park, Centurion.

ODI Series

Wednesday, 04 December at 14h00 - 1st IWC ODI: South Africa vs England - Kimberley Oval, Kimberley.
Sunday, 08 December at 10h00 - 2nd Black Day ODI: South Africa vs England – Kingsmead Stadium, Durban.
Wednesday, 11 December at 14h00 - 3rd IWC ODI: South Africa vs England – JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom.

Only Test

Sunday, 15 – Wednesday, 18 December at 10h00 - Only Test: South Africa vs England - Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein.