Sune Luus calls for more investment in women's cricket after World Cup final loss

Chasing a target of 157, the host nation lost by 19 runs in front of a record crowd as Australia claimed their sixth T20 World Cup trophy and third in a row.

Luus emphasised how proud she was of the Proteas women who reached their first ever final and pushed the best team in the world.

The home skipper told reporters after the game: "I think we are knocking on doors. We were so close to doing that to the best of the world.

"We've knocked over India, knocked over England, unfortunately we could not do it today but were so close.

"We have some talented people in our team and with the right resources, the right structures, we can get to that next level."

Luus made the point that South Africa are still behind Australia, England and now India as they have established T20 domestic leagues.

The Proteas skipper called the newly formed Indian WPL "massive for women's cricket" and asked CSA to consider a women's edition of its new league, the SA20.

"We've done our best to give the girls in the country the best possible chance," Luus said.

"It's obviously up to CSA and the Minister of Sport and whoever's in charge of cricket in this country to knock on doors and open those doors and give women's cricket the best chance they could possibly have to keep up with Australia, with England and with India.

"Hopefully we get an SA20 for women's as well. That would really, really help South African women's cricket, especially just to get that depth that we keep talking about.

"If you look at all those leagues - they are in the top three nations, and that's why they're so good. That's why they have that depth, because they have leagues where overseas players come and play and you get used to playing with them and against them.

"That's something we really need to look at. We've been asking for a very long time for an SA League. I know it's budget constrained, and there's always resources and all those things but we've given our girls the best chance we could have.

"And it's up to CSA and everyone involved to kind of make that happen and give it our best shot."

Through all the challenges though the Proteas women have established themselves as South Africa's most successful white-ball team as they were the first to reach a final at a World Cup tournament.

Luus wants to use the experience and take her country one step further and claim their maiden trophy on the biggest stage.

She added: We got a sniff of how a final is, and the feelings and the nerves and everything. Now we have a heartache of not winning a final.

"But getting through that hurdle of the semi-final - at next year's World Cup, when we get there again, it's not going to be a big thing for us anymore to break that curse.

"It's just for us to really look at that final and say, 'Okay, cool, how are we going to get through the final and be on the other side of that?'"