'You are our heroines': CSA congratulates Proteas on stellar T20 World Cup

While they might have lost the T20 World Cup final to Australia, the Proteas were the pride of the nation, with 13 000 turning up at Newlands to support them on Sunday.

On Monday, Cricket South Africa (CSA) congratulated Sune Luus's charges, who became the first team from South Africa to reach the final of a global ICC event.

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"We are immensely proud of what our women cricketers managed to achieve at the World Cup," chairperson of the CSA board, Lawson Naidoo, said in a statement released to the media. 

"They broke new ground by becoming the first South Africa team, among men and women, to get to the deciding match.

"The Proteas showed exceptional fight and courage. They played some outstanding cricket all round, winning over many new hearts and fans along the way. Unfortunately, Suné Luus and her team came up against an Australian team that is on top of its game and have now won a third successive World Cup.

"On behalf of the CSA Board, I congratulate the Proteas women for a stellar performance that showed their grit, endurance, and determination. We are filled with immense pride that they made it to the final with confidence. This bodes well for the fortunes of the team in its next exploits."

CSA chief executive officer, Pholetsi Moseki, added: "What the Proteas women have accomplished over the course of the last two weeks will be embedded in our hearts forever. To get to a final of a World Cup is very special, but to do it in front of your own fans is even more special.

"Their effort is the fruit of the foundations that have been laid by coach Hilton Moreeng over the past decade when we saw so many of these women