Hussain highlights reasons for Proteas' turnaround at T20WC

Nasser Hussain on stand out players and his favourite to win the Women's T20 World Cup | The ICC Review

Former England captain and ICC commentator Nasser Hussain joins The ICC Review host Sanjana Ganesan to discuss all the big stories from the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 so far.

South Africa's batting is beginning to peak at exactly the right time at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026, according to former England captain Nasser Hussain.

After questions were raised following a heavy opening defeat to Australia, the Proteas' batting unit has responded with successive impressive displays, highlighted by a commanding victory over India and another dominant performance against the Netherlands to boost their semi-final hopes.

Hussain credited resilience within the squad, while also pointing to improvements at the top of the order.

Tazmin Brits scored her maiden T20I century against the Netherlands last start to provide South Africa a settled look at the top of the order, while skipper Laura Wolvaardt continues to perform consistently heading into the business end of the tournament.

"I think that comes from their captain, their backroom staff and their coaching staff. There's a real self-belief in that side that they can recover,” Hussain said in the latest edition of The ICC Review with host Sanjana Ganesan.

“They've had a few issues at the top of the order, but Tazmin Brits has come in and got runs on a difficult pitch, then yesterday against the Netherlands she smashed a hundred.

"I think they've sort of solved that opening combination."

Hussain also believes South Africa have found their rhythm at just the right stage of the tournament, with greater clarity at the top of the order and batters stepping up in their wins over Netherlands and India.

"They did that in the 50-over World Cup, England hammered them early on and you were a bit fearful whether their batting line-up was strong enough. Before you know it, they're in the World Cup final," he said.

"The same here. In the first game against Australia they got hammered, but they have a resilience to them."

The first two games against Australia and Pakistan saw a pair of batting collapses for the Proteas, with skipper Wolvaardt, Luus and veteran all-rounder Marizanne Kapp all misfiring.

While South Africa's top order has begun to fire, Hussain believes Kapp remains her side's biggest asset, citing her latest rescue act against India as a showcase of her ability to perform when the stakes are highest.

Walking in with South Africa struggling at 25/2 and the required run-rate climbing beyond 10 an over, Kapp anchored the chase with another trademark innings under pressure as she remained unbeaten on 81 off 45.

Hussain also highlighted her leadership, noting that her influence extends well beyond her own performances and makes her the player South Africa look towards in defining moments.

"If I'm looking in world cricket, a clutch player under pressure to deliver, it's Marizanne Kapp. They were 25 for two, the game was drifting away, the run rate was going up at 10 an over, and the way Marizanne played and it's not just a one-off," Hussain noted.

"It's always Marizanne Kapp. If you want someone to deliver under pressure, Marizanne Kapp with the bat, with the ball.

"If South Africa get to the knockout stage, she is absolutely the key player."

South Africa’s semi-final fate depends on their final Group A outing against Bangladesh, while also expecting a favourable result when India take on Australia in the last group stage game of the tournament.

With both teams sitting at six points each after four outings, the race for the final four is set to go right down to the wire.

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