Tazmin Brits and Nonkululeko Mlaba, who were part of South Africa’s squad for the 2022 50-overs World Cup, have earned their first national contracts, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Monday (May 2). Former captain, Mignon du Preez, who recently announced her retirement from the longer formats, and Nadine de Klerk are the ones who have missed out.
Brits, a top-order batter, made her ODI debut in January 2021 and has represented South Africa in 12 ODIs. The right-hander has scored 229 runs in her ODI career at an average of 19.08. Left-arm spinner Mlaba has also received her maiden national contract after making her ODI debut in January 2021. The 21-year-old was one of the youngest players in the South African squad for the 2022 World Cup.
CSA Chief Executive Officer, Pholetsi Moseki, congratulated Brits and Mlaba on their achievement. “On behalf of CSA, congratulations to Tazmin Brits and Nonkululeko Mlaba on their newly-awarded contracts. Their dedication and work on and off the field has not gone unnoticed and these contracts are a reward for their contributions,” he said.
In 2021, South Africa won the home ODI series against Pakistan and West Indies while also clinching the away series in India and West Indies. They entered the 2022 World Cup as the second-ranked team and reached the knock-out stage of the tournament under the leadership of Sune Luus. Moseki lauded the South African team for their performance in the previous year.
“After a remarkable year for the Proteas that saw the team climb to and maintain the second spot in the ODI world rankings, it is with immense pleasure to announce next season’s squad of contracted players as they embark on their next challenge in the world cricket,” he added.
Head coach Hilton Moreeng will be in charge of the team in the 2022-23 season as South Africa will head to Ireland to play three T20Is and three ODIs. They will play their first Test match in eight years against England in the multi-format series. The T20 World Cup semi-finalists will then participate in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in August 2022. South Africa will also host the T20 World Cup in February 2023.
“Just like the previous 12 months, the next year brings forth a hugely-anticipated calendar of international cricket for the Proteas Women and we strongly believe in the set-up in place at the top of our women’s game to continue breaking boundaries and make their mark in the game,” Moseki concluded.
South Africa's Contracted Players for 2022-23 season:
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