CAPE TOWN – The Proteas women suffered a major blow yesterday when captain Dane van Niekerk was ruled out of the upcoming India T20 international series.
Van Niekerk, who missed a large part of the last home summer due to a foot injury, suffered a recurrence during the recent England Super League where she was playing for the Surrey Stars.
Sune Luus will continue to lead the Proteas in Van Niekerk’s absence.
All-rounders Marizanne Kapp and Chloe Tryon are also not available for the five-match T20 series.
SA Women's Cricketer of the Year Dane van Niekerk and SA Men's Cricketer of the Year Faf du Plessis with their trophies during the 2019 Cricket South Africa Awards in August 2019. Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
The squad, though, has been boosted by the return of the experienced Trisha Chetty, who also returns to the ODI squad after a lengthy injury-enforced absence. In more good news, the impressive Ayabonga Khaka returns to the squad following a serious shoulder surgery that saw her out of action for over a year.
There is also a maiden call-up for left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba, while there is a recall for all-rounder Anneke Bosch after their impressive performances for the SA Emerging team.
@SuneLuus of Team M. vd Merwe just got her half a century.
Batting Stats:
50 runs off 33 balls 5 (4s) and 2 (6s) #WomensT20SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/apkbb6CFlO
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) September 8, 2019
“We are excited with the crop of players selected for the bilateral tour of India,” CSA convenor of selectors Clinton du Preez said. “With a few players not available for the tour, it gives us an opportunity to look at some options going into the upcoming New Zealand away series and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
“Nonkululeko Mlaba has been included as a new cap into the squad on the back of a successful Emerging Tour against Bangladesh and the Women’s T20 Super League. She is a talented left-arm spinner who will complement our bowling attack.
“Anneke Bosch has been a steady contributor for North West and was also part of the recent Emerging Squad, and she gives us as an extra all-rounder option.”
South Africa will start their India tour with two warm-up T20s next Thursday and Sunday before the T20 series starts on 24 September in Surat. That will be followed by three ODIs on 9, 11 and 14 October in Vadodara.
Meanwhile, the Proteas’ men’s team recruited Amol Muzumdar as interim batting coach for next month’s three-match Test series against India.
The Test series is the Proteas’ first in the new ICC Test Match Championship. Muzumdar had an outstanding first-class career that lasted 20 years during which time he made more than 11 000 first-class runs, including 30 centuries, at an average of 48. This included a career-best of 260 on his first-class debut for Mumbai.
The Protea Women's squads:
T20I:
Sune Luus (Northerns, Capt), Anneke Bosch (North West), Tasmin Brits (North West), Nadine de Klerk (Northerns), Shabnim Ismail (Gauteng), Sinalo Jafta (WP), Ayabonga Khaka (Gauteng), Lara Goodall (WP), Lizelle Lee (North West), Nonkululeko Mlaba (KZN Coastal), Tumi Sekhukhune (North West), Nondumiso Shangase (KZN Coastal), Mignon van der Merwe (Northerns), Lara Wolvaardt (WP)
ODI:
Sune Luus (Northerns, Capt), Tasmin Brits (North West), Trisha Chetty (Gauteng), Nadine de Klerk (Northerns), Shabnim Ismail (Gauteng), Ayabonga Khaka (Gauteng), Lara Goodall (WP), Marizanne Kapp (EP), Lizelle Lee (North West), Nonkululeko Mlaba (KZN Coastal), Tumi Sekhukhune (North West), Nondumiso Shangase (KZN Coastal), Mignon van der Merwe (Northerns), Lara Wolvaardt (WP)