South Africa announce 15-member squad for Ireland tour, several first-choice players missing

Cricket South Africa have announced a 15-member women’s squad set to tour Ireland for a three-match T20I series, followed by the same number of ODIs. While the T20I series is set to begin on June 3 (Friday), the 50-over series is slated to start on June 11 (Saturday).

Much to the surprise of everyone, several senior players including Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee, Masabata Klaas, and Dane van Niekerk are missing from the 15-member squad. Among fresh names, Delmi Tucker, who had a good run in the recent domestic season as she hit 409 runs and scalped 15 wickets, has been included.

The three reserve players of the 2022 World Cup squad namely Raisibe Ntozakhe, Nadine de Klerk and Andrie Steyn have also been included. To note, it will be South Africa’s first international assignment after the 2022 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.

The selection approach has been very clear: Convenor of Selectors

“Having some young and fringe players in the group allows us to rotate and test their growth. Some of these players just missed out on the recently held World Cup and it is a great opportunity for them to stake a claim for positions,” convenor Clinton du Preez was quoted by Cricbuzz.

“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 commence the ICC Women’s Championships (IWC) ranking points, a blend of players who can excel and add value to both formats were selected to allow for rotation,” du Preez added.

Hilton Moreeng, South Africa’s coach, said: “When we are looking at the T20Is, there is a bigger picture when it comes to that. It is a new beginning for us this year, building up towards the T20 World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. The senior players know what is at stake. The ODIs are the ICC Women’s Championship qualifications for the next 50-over World Cup, so there is a lot at stake in the sense that we are also looking to grow our base.”

South Africa Women Squad for Ireland series

Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Trisha Chetty, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Tumi Sekhukhune, Andrie Steyn, Chloe Tryon, Delmi Tucker, Laura Wolvaardt