Mignon du Preez is the face of women's cricket in South Africa. Having led the side since 2011, she has been at the forefront of their charge, both on and off the field. In this chat with ESPNcricinfo, du Preez discusses the challenges girls face in South Africa, the changing landscape of the game brought about by professionalism and what needs to be done to sustain the growth surrounding the women's game. Excerpts:

From not winning a single game at the World T20 till 2012 to semi-finals in 2014 - what changed?

Self-belief, for starters, but there was one particular incident that changed us as a group. We were the underdogs going into that tournament in 2014. New Zealand had won all three games. Before our last group game in Sylhet, we saw the White Ferns had already packed their bags and were ready to dispatch it to Dhaka for the semi-finals. And here we were as a team, trying to win that game to have a chance to progress. Just the thought that someone was taking us lightly and not expecting us to turn up, motivated us. We went out, played like we had no fear of losing and the end result was us knocking New Zealand out. That was an emotional day for us because it was the first time we were in the final four.

Did that bring about a change in attitude towards women's cricket in South Africa? That is when I felt a real buzz, a wave of change back home. It was nice to hear from the board, fans, players, family and friends who always support you. It was nice to prove to them that we had it in us to win. We were good, but somehow, the big stage always seemed to get the better of us. But that night was special. From there on, I think we have gone from strength to strength. Globally, women's cricket has moved forward, but purely from a women's cricket point of view back home, that win was huge.

There must have been a trigger point?

I think the real change came about in 2013, when we got a principal sponsor on board, which brought in some funding. Cricket South Africa awarded contracts to six players, and then that had a boomerang effect of sorts. The following year, 14 players came under annual retainers, so that sent out a message, saying, 'if you are good, and perform consistently, maybe there is a career to be had.' A lot of the girls have been motivated by that. Things are better now, unlike when a lot of us first started, where we had to seek leaves from our employers or from the university where many of us were pursuing degrees apart from playing cricket. Now, there is so much focus on fitness, strength and conditioning, and not just your usual net sessions that involve batting, bowling or fielding drills. The demands of the game have changed even in the women's game. A lot of that has got to do with professionalism.

There's talk about the gap between the top two and the rest narrowing down. Where is South Africa in the larger scheme of things?

South Africa is still two-three years behind where Australia and England are. Our biggest challenge is to have a wider pool of cricketers to choose from, and that, I hope, will happen over time. As much as women's cricket has grown, back home, the awareness is only just starting to grow. One way of achieving that is by televising more matches. In fact, our series against England had a good reach as it served as a curtain-raiser for the men's match later in the day. At least, we're heading in the right direction, but that needs to be sustained. It can't be that there's awareness only before a World T20 or a World Cup. Now there is some effort made on that front as the ICC Women's World Championship needs teams to play each other in a minimum of three games to identify four direct qualifiers for next year's World Cup.

How is women's cricket perceived now, as compared to before contracts came in? Cricket is still a male-dominated sport back home, and for some strange reason, women playing sport is considered dangerous. People associate cricket, particularly the women's game, being a contact sport, which it isn't. It's about skill. There's also this perception that you have to be a "certain type of girl" to play cricket. I don't know what type. People think girls playing cricket are tomboys. So we've tried to get the message across that you can be a "girly girl," do all the things a regular girl does, and still play cricket. Changing that perception has sometimes been harder than some of the challenges you face on the field, because at the end of the day, if you want to win, you need a stream of talent coming through. And for that to happen, the pool needs to widen. And only if that happens, you will have a stronger domestic structure, so all of it is inter-linked.

Have you encountered sexism of any kind?

When I used to play with the boys' team at primary school and high school, parents used to complain to the principal saying 'how can you have a girl in the team, she is keeping out a deserving boy from the XI.' Our principal would have none of it, and just say, 'because she is better.' While I haven't faced sexism of that kind, personally, in my playing career, I know girls who have faced it. It's never nice knowing people don't back you. Most of the interviews we do, people ask us if we can face up to a Dale Steyn or bat like the way AB de Villiers does. We may not bowl 150kph or have those shots, but we've got our own versions of Steyn or AB or Imran Tahir. Take for example, Shabnim Ismail - she is the fastest bowler in the women's game and can bowl at 125-130 clicks. We just want people to appreciate our skills.

Because of this perception, did the team ever feel star-struck around the superstar male cricketers?

Previously, as a team, we were star-struck, but not anymore. It's a lot more normal to see them playing. They are a lot more familiar about our squad and who does what. The men's and women's teams have come to know each other a lot more, thanks to the curtain-raisers to the men's game. But, sometimes, I also think, as cricketers, you don't always want to ask the men about technique or temperament because modern-day cricket for them is so intense, so we prefer to have normal conversations. But yes, there's more recognition now.

You spoke about curtain-raisers bringing in fans. Do you think Women's T20 going standalone would arrest its growth?

I hope not. At the moment, we are excited at where we are at, but the truth is, we still have to be tagged with the men's game to get coverage, recognition and viewership. But the Women's BBL proved there was a place for a stand-alone women's competition, too. How that will translate globally, only time will tell, but you wouldn't know until you try.

Do you have a fan following?

There's lot more recognition on Twitter and Facebook, for sure. The social media awareness has grown big time, so that has helped create a buzz. Playing in front of TV was surreal, and for the first time, before our departure to India. There were ad campaigns, we had a branded bus, there were banners - everything. The request for interviews too (laughs). The media plays an important role, no doubt.

Is there place for Test cricket in the women's game?

As much as we would like to play, I don't think a four-Test rubber is a reality, but there is place for a Test in a multi-format series, like how Australia and England play for the Ashes. Maybe, that can be explored uniformly across all sides. Ask any cricketer in my team, or maybe, even the other sides, and they will tell you they want to play Tests. The truth, though, is T20 is considered the best way to market the women's game.