JOHANNESBURG – The SA women’s cricket team begin their international cricket season with the tour of New Zealand starting on January 25 at Eden Park, Auckland.
The SA team are scheduled to play a three-match one day internationals series followed by a five-match T20 International series against the New Zealand Women which will aide as good preparations for the 2020 ICC Women’s World T20 which is due to take place in Australia the following month.
South Africa is scheduled to announce the T20 international squad on Monday which will also form part of the women’s cricket showpiece.
Ahead of a very busy summer for SA cricket, the allure of a gruelling series down under hasn't been lost on team coach Hilton Moreeng who will make use of this tour to ensure the team is best placed to perform at a high level.
“We have had a good break thus far and all of us are relishing the prospect of facing New Zealand on their home conditions,” says Moreeng.
“This tour offers us a great opportunity to garner much needed points for the ICC Women’s Championship, but also great preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup. Both the ODI and T20 series will be challenging against a very strong New Zealand outfit, however we need that challenge as it will help us measure our gameness for the all-important T20 spectacle in Australia. This team has come far and we are at a point where we are ready to be counted amongst the elite.”
With the T20 World Cup team set to be announced on Monday, 13 January, the head coach has expressed his desire to see consistency in team performance during their series against the White Ferns.
The Proteas Women will play a three-match ODI series followed by a five-match T20 series against New Zealand. Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix
“We are looking to have a consistent group, there’s no doubt about that and I know we as the management team are obviously absorbed to pick a consistent team because our squad is starting to perform at a level that we want, so it makes our job that much more difficult and that is what you want when you’re heading into a tour of this magnitude.
The players have realised the importance of coming to the party and this will go a long way in ensuring that we rise on the rankings with good performances against quality opposition.”
The team is scheduled to depart for New Zealand on Monday with their first ODI taking place twelve days later at Eden Park.