South Africa has likewise participated in every edition of the Women's T20 World Cup, and reached the finals twice in 2023 and 2024, but ended up by losing both times to Australia and New Zealand respectively.

There are other references to similar conditions being placed on male competitors in matches against women at the time, a tradition carried over from England.

[11] Women's cricket was played in South Africa fairly regularly throughout the beginning of the 20th century,[12] and in 1922, Winfred Kingswell set-up, and became the first president of, the Peninsula Girls' School Games Union.

Ten years later, she helped found the Peninsula Ladies Cricket Club (PLCC), which with 30 members, played regular matches against men's sides on level terms.

The intention was to organise women's cricket in South Africa, and eventually send teams to play in England, Scotland and Australia.

[21] These laws led to Basil D'Oliveira, a 'Cape Coloured' South African emigrating to England, where he began to play Test cricket.

He was subsequently named as a late replacement as part of the England team to tour South African in 1968–69, but South African Prime Minister John Vorster refused to allow D'Oliveira into the country as part of the touring side, declaring: "We are not prepared to receive a team thrust upon us by people whose interests are not in the game but to gain certain political objectives which they do not even attempt to hide.

Only three members of the 1960 South Africa team returned to compete against New Zealand: Jennifer Gove, Lorna Ward and Maureen Payne.

[25] Although the D'Oliveira affair had drawn international condemnation, cricket administrators in England and Australia were reluctant to sever their playing links with South Africa.

However, a group within the SACBOC did not recognise this body, and set up a rival organisation, the South African Cricket Board, led by Hassan Howa, who claimed that there could be "no normal sport in an abnormal society".

[29] In 1977, heads of state of the Commonwealth of Nations met to discuss the situation with apartheid in South Africa and the consequences of maintaining sporting ties with the country.

They unanimously adopted the Gleneagles Agreement, which discouraged sporting contact and competition with organisations, teams and individuals from South Africa.

Geoffrey Boycott and Graham Gooch lead an English XI in a month-long tour of three 'Test' matches and three 'One Day Internationals'.

Kim Price, who captained South African women between 1997 and 2000 following their return to international cricket, made her first appearances in the mid-1980s against these rebel teams.

The unification ended enforced racial separation, and only a month later, on 10 July 1991, South Africa was re-admitted as a full member of the ICC.

The 2000 Women's World Cup saw an improvement in form, as South Africa finished ahead of England in the group stage,[47] courtesy of a five-wicket victory over them.

[35] Roberts explained that one of the main problems surrounding the promotion of the sport was the lack of teams touring South Africa, due to women's cricket in the country having no sponsor.

[35] South Africa did manage to attract a team to tour in 2001–02, with India travelling to the country to contest four ODIs and a Test match.

The ODI series was scheduled before the second Test, and South Africa won the second of the limited over contests, but suffered big defeats in both of the matches either side.

The tour finished with another heavy loss in the second Test, England winning by an innings and 96 runs as South Africa only managed to score 130 and 229.

In 2004–05 the sides played two ODIs in the weeks leading up to the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup which was being held in South Africa, two years after they had hosted the men's competition.

[12] During the years of isolation in the 1970s and 1980s, women's cricket was strong in South Africa, but with a lack of international competition, the game and governing body became defunct.