Their men haven’t been able to be part of a World Cup final yet, though they were among the strongest teams in world cricket in the late 90s and early 2000s.

But the current group of South African women, led by Sune Luus, overcame all obstacles to make it to the summit clash of the Women’s T20 World Cup on Friday. The whole country will look up to them for a taste of World Cup success when they meet Australia at Newlands on Sunday.

South Africa will script history if they can upset the five-time champions in Cape Town. The Aussies will eye a third straight T20 crown.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a very special feeling in the final tomorrow (Sunday),” skipper Luus acknowledged. “I think we’ve always known we have the ability and the skill to be in a final. It was just to get through that semi-final.

“But now, I think no matter what happens tomorrow (Sunday), it’s going to be a special day for us.”

The South Africans have every reason to feel extra confident going into the decider. Yes, home advantage is a factor, but Luus and her teammates were able to get the better of a formidable England team in their semi-final clash.

South Africa and Australia had faced each other in the group phase of the competition as well. The Australians won that game comfortably by six wickets, having to chase down a modest 125-run target.

Looking back at that game, Luus said: “We were 30-40 runs short.

“We know they have a very strong batting line-up and they bat deep. So I think for us, whether we bat first or bowl first, we have to put up a good fight.

“We know they’re going to keep fighting. We saw it in their semi-final against India. They’ve shown their class there.

“So we have to take the game as deep as possible, whether we get 120 on the board or 190. You never know what can happen then.”

Considering how well the likes of Tazmin Brits, Ayabonga Khaka have been playing, the task appears to be getting tougher for the Meg Lanning-led Australians.

“We were under the pump in the semi-final and India probably looked like winning for a lot of that game. But we found a way to win and that’s what this team is really good at, which is sticking together,” Lanning emphasised.

“We’ve played against each other. And you know, whether it’s going well or it’s not going well, I think we’re able to stay really calm and composed.”

The defending champions certainly know how to thrive under pressure. And it’s this strong mindset of theirs that may just give them the edge.

Final today

South Africa Women vs Australia Women, 6.30pm IST, live on Star Sports Network