Cape Town - The Proteas’ Women’s team will get a glimpse into the future on their upcoming tour of Ireland.
It will be the first time the Proteas will be in action since their World Cup semi-final defeat to England at Hagley Oval a month ago. With the next World Cup cycle now starting, selection chief Clinton du Preez and coach Hilton Moreeng have already cast their eye towards the 2025 edition.
Five members of the 15-player World Cup squad will not travel to Ireland with wicket-keeper batter Sinalo Jafta, all-rounder Marizanne Kapp and 2021’s ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, Lizelle Lee all ruled out as they recover from respiratory illness. Experienced seamer Masabata Klaas is also ruled out due to a right shoulder injury, while Mignon du Preez, of course, retired from ODI cricket after the World Cup.
Regular captain Dane van Niekerk is also still busy with her rehabilitation from her Achilles injury that kept her from leading the Proteas in New Zealand. Sune Luus will therefore continue in her role as stand-in skipper.
Fresh from being part of a championship-winning team at the Fairbreak Women’s Invitational in Dubai, Luus will have a relatively youthful team at her disposal. Uncapped Western Province all-rounder Demi Tucker receives a maiden call-up, while World Cup travelling reserves Raisibe Ntozakhe, all-rounder Nadine de Klerk and top-order batter, Andrie Steyn all return to the squad.
Anneke Bosch has also recovered from her fractured thumb and has been included in the squad for the T20s that will be played on June 3, 6 and 8, followed by the ODIs on June 11, 14 and 17.
“I am very excited with the squad selected for the Ireland series. Having some young and fringe players in the group gives us an opportunity to rotate and test their growth. Some of these players just missed out of the recently held World Cup and it is a great opportunity for them to stake claim for positions,” Du Preez said.
“Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee, Masabata Klaas and Sinalo Jafta unfortunately miss out post the World Cup due to medical reasons and we are definitely looking forward to their availability in future tours,” du Preez said.
“We will grab any opportunity to provide the required rotation in the squad and to measure the high-performance and provincial players against the international standards. Delmi Tucker has been rewarded off the back of a very successful domestic season and has really made positive strides with significant contributions, and we are looking forward to seeing her transition into the international arena.
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“The selection approach has been very clear and is set out to balance both the preparations towards the T20 Commonwealth Games and the T20 World Cup. With the latter a few months away, coupled with the ODI games that commences the ICC Women’s Championships (IWC) ranking points, a blend of players who can excel and add value to both formats were selected and to allow for rotation,” he added.
Momentum Proteas Squad for Ireland Tour:
Anneke Bosch (Senwes Dragons), Tazmin Brits (Senwes Dragons), Trisha Chetty (Hollywoodbets KZN Coastal), Nadine de Klerk (Six Gun Grill Western Province), Lara Goodall (Six Gun Grill Western Province), Shabnim Ismail (Hollywoodbets KZN Coastal), Ayabonga Khaka (Imperial Lions), Sune Luus (Titans Ladies), Nonkululeko Mlaba (Hollywoodbets KZN Coastal), Raisibe Ntozakhe (Imperial Lions), Tumi Sekhukhune (Imperial Lions), Andrie Steyn (Six Gun Grill Western Province), Chloe Tryon (Hollywoodbets KZN Coastal), Delmi Tucker (Six Gun Grill Western Province), Laura Wolvaardt (Six Gun Grill Western Province)