JOHANNESBURG: Cricket South Africa (CSA) brought together the past, present and future of the women’s game in a powerful gathering at the inaugural Women in Cricket Dialogue on 30 May. The full-day event combined compelling panel discussions with live podcast storytelling to chart a transformative future for women’s cricket.
The forum, hosted in Melrose Arch, was anchored by three insightful panel sessions exploring the evolution, commercial potential, and long-term vision for women’s cricket. Voices from across the cricketing spectrum, including trailblazing former national players, current Proteas stars, administrators, commercial partners and industry experts, shared candid reflections and forward-thinking strategies.
In a first for a CSA event of this nature, a dedicated podcast booth hosted by broadcasters Nono Pongolo and Philasande Sixaba captured real-time thoughts, personal stories, and behind-the-scenes insights from speakers and attendees. These moments have been curated into a special Women in Cricket podcast series, offering a lasting platform for voices that continue to shape the game.
The Women in Cricket Podcast Series is available on Cricket South Africa’s YouTube channel, featuring the following episodes:
- Catch up with Linda Olivier and Dinesha Devanarain
- Catch up with Laura Wolvaardt & Sune Luus
Proteas Women’s captain, Laura Wolvaardt, shared her reflections on the event:
“A productive day. We spent a few good hours just talking about women’s cricket, and I think the most impactful part was hearing from the past players. Just hearing the struggles they had to go through when they played, and to see how far the game has come in the last 10-20 years.”
CSA Executive for Domestic Cricket, Edward Khoza, who delivered a keynote during the “Future of Women’s Cricket” panel, also commented:
“Today was one of those occasions where I normally call it a positive day’s experience. Especially when we reflect and have the former players in the room that played women’s cricket when it was unfancied, sitting in the presence of the up and coming and as well as current Proteas players. It was quite a humbling experience because the journey that they’ve walked in is completely different.
“Our job is one of trying to look at where things are at this point and try to earmark where the future is going. We have made some serious strides.”
Source: cricket.co.za
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