Proteas Women head coach Mandla Mashimbyi knows too well the enormity of the task facing his players at next month’s ICC T20 World Cup. “If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” was his parting shot as the squad embarked on another bid for World Cup glory in England and Wales.South Africa will be eager to right the wrongs of the past at the tournament, which runs from June 12 to July 5, and finally get their hands on elusive winner’s medals after successive near misses in recent editions.The Proteas Women begin their campaign with a daunting group featuring Australia, India and Pakistan. They face Australia at Old Trafford, Pakistan at Edgbaston and India back at Old Trafford in a key midstage clash. Fixtures against the Netherlands in Bristol and Bangladesh at Lord’s complete their group stage, with the final match at the Home of Cricket likely to prove decisive in their push for qualification.“We don’t look at it as a challenge; we look at it as an opportunity to make a big statement,” Mashimbyi said.“In all five games, not just the three big ones, it’s about us trying to express ourselves and make a statement.”Mashimbyi made headlines with a bold late reshuffle to his backroom staff just weeks before the tournament, bringing in fresh voices to reset the team environment. The batting, fielding and strength-and-conditioning departments were all overhauled, with Andrew Puttick, Mduduzi Mbhatha and Tumi Masekela stepping in, while bowling coach Dillon du Preez was retained.The move followed a difficult tour of New Zealand and was framed by Mashimbyi as a push for “new energy and fresh perspectives”, rather than a reaction to results, despite the timing raising eyebrows given the Proteas’ recent run of consecutive World Cup final appearances.With a blend of new faces, experience and a settled core led by skipper Laura Wolvaardt, South Africa head into a third successive global tournament determined to finally end their heartbreak.“We had a team-building session which I thought was really important for us to realign and increase belief,” Mashimbyi said.“From a skills point of view, it was about pumping their tyres and giving them the confidence to go and play the way they want to play.”The Proteas have become one of the leading forces in women’s T20 cricket after reaching consecutive World Cup finals in 2023 and 2024.On home soil in 2023 under Hilton Moreeng and Suné Luus, they overcame a shaky start to stun England by six runs in the semifinal before falling 19 runs short against Australia in Cape Town.A year later in the UAE, under Dillon du Preez, they topped a difficult group and dismantled Australia by eight wickets in the semifinal, underlining their rise among the global elite. But another golden opportunity slipped away in the final, as a batting collapse saw them bowled out for 126/9 chasing 159 against New Zealand.Now, with another shot at glory, Mashimbyi’s side are determined to clear the final hurdle.“The biggest thing is trusting your preparation,” he said. “We’ve worked on staying in the green zone for longer and understanding there will be slumps in thinking patterns. “It’s about how quickly you get back.“The players have taken it in well, so things should take care of themselves. “In terms of ability, I’ve never seen a problem. It’s about small adjustments to ensure confidence is right.”A weeklong camp, with warm-up fixtures before the tournament, will give Mashimbyi and his players final opportunities to fine-tune their approach before the World Cup begins.