Ongama Gcwabe
THE PROTEAS Women have some of the world’s most lethal spinners in white-ball cricket.
The current ICC T20 bowlers’ rankings do not reflect this as none of the South African bowlers feature in the list led by Sophie Ecclestone, but every team in the world knows not to take the South Africans lightly.
ICC WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP SQUAD
Congratulations to the following players who have been named in the @proteaswomencsa squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup taking place in the UAE from 3 to 20 October 2024.
Laura Wolvaardt (Captain)
Anneke Bosch
Tazmin Brits
Nadine de… pic.twitter.com/WREoiIeQS3
Ecclestone sits at the top of the rankings with 772 points, only two points ahead of South Africa’s Nonkululeko Mlaba’s career-best rankings points, meaning Mlaba – on her day – can be just as good as any of the best spin bowlers in the world.
The 15-player Proteas Women’s squad for next month’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was announced yesterday.
The country’s hopes of a maiden World Cup trophy rest on Mlaba’s shoulders as the UAE will offer a lot of surfaces conducive to spin.
Mlaba, however, needs spinners to bowl in tandem with. Recognising this, Cricket SA has named left-arm orthodox Chloe Tryon and uncapped wrist spinner Seshnie Naidu of the Dolphins in the World Cup squad.
Though Tryon was one of the first names on that squad list, Naidu was an unexpected addition, more so given that off-spinner Nondumiso Shangase had been in and around the national team since the previous T20 World Cup.
However, convenor of selectors Clinton du Preez and CSA spin lead Paul Adams seem convinced that Naidu will add more of the X-factor to the current bowling attack. Du Preez said that Naidu currently suits the shortest format of the game better while Shangase has a future in ODI and Test cricket in the national team.
“We had a clear conversation with Nondu to (get her to) understand that her format going forward is ODI cricket and Test Cricket,” said Du Preez.
“We’re looking for a more impactful player when it comes to T20 cricket and as a debutant, Seshnie excites us. She’s been part of our camps and we’ve been holding her back and trying to fit her into the squad.
“We looked at the conditions and the X-factor that she can bring, it’s something different from the current spinners that we have.
“We needed to find players to complement the unknown of the UAE, to understand what she could bring to us. With her skill and the pace she bowls, in consultation with the spin lead (Adams), she was the option that we looked at to complement our bowling attack.”
The journey to T20 glory begins now! 🌍🏏
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) September 1, 2024
Presenting the fixtures for the Proteas Women in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup taking place in the UAE.
Get ready to support our team as they battle the best in the world! 🇿🇦💪 #AlwaysRising #WozaNawe #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/reECEpviLD
On the fast bowling front, Du Preez has included two budding youngsters in SWD’s Annerie Dercksen and the Dolphins’ Ayanda Hlubi for the World Cup. Both have pace, control and a knack for taking wickets at crucial times in T20 cricket.
Hlubi, having missed the tour to India due to injury, makes her highly anticipated return to the green and gold.
“Very exciting is Ayanda. We had her on a tour in Australia. She’s got good attributes as a quick bowler,” Du Preez said of the 20-year-old’s inclusion in the squad.
“We followed her in the provincial competition. We are looking at what she can bring and how she complements our bowling attack.”
South Africa have played six T20 series since falling agonisingly short of World Cup glory at Newlands last year. Interestingly, four of those series were here at home against subcontinent teams while two of them were in the subcontinent itself.
That means the team has played against subcontinent specialists and in their conditions as well, which should really boost their confidence heading to the UAE next month.
The uncapped Free State-based all-rounder, Miané Smit, has been added to the squad as a travelling reserve.
Proteas Women’s squad: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Suné Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon