World Cup 2022 in New Zealand in the absence of Dane van Niekerk as Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced the squad for the global event on Friday (February 4). There are no surprises with Lizelle Lee joining the team for tournament having missed the ongoing West Indies series.
South Africa will miss the services van Niekerk after she was ruled out of the competition having fractured her ankle just ahead of the West Indies series. Lee will return to form a crucial partnership with Laura Wolvaardt at the top. The squad features experienced campaigners like Marizanne Kapp, Mignon du Preez and Shabnim Ismail alongside big hitting Chloe Tryon.
“This is an exciting time for all involved, especially the players and management. The most exciting thing about this squad that’s going to the World Cup is that it complements our planning and our strategic selections over a period of time,” Clinton du Preez, convenor of selectors, said.
South Africa, semi-finalists of the 2017 edition, have had a golden run in ODI cricket in recent times having lost only one game and won 14 matches in 2021. Although they started the West Indies series poorly, South Africa registered a massive win on Thursday against the visitors with Wolvaardt scoring her third century in the format.
“The squad was not just brought together in the last few months, it’s a process that we commenced in 2017 and we identified certain areas that we needed to strengthen. There were strategic selections made through various camps and tours that we’ve had and played prior to this,” Clinton added.
“The players have come along nicely and in leaps and bounds, and it’s good to see that we can now, with injuries and key personnel out of the team, find strategic replacements to cover for them, which is important and speaks volumes of the depth that we’ve created within this program.”
South Africa are currently the number two ranked side in the format ahead of defending champions England. They will start their World Cup campaign against Bangladesh in Dunedin on March 5.
“In 2020, when we went to New Zealand, we clinched the ODI series and from there that just set the tone for us to go and push on for the ODI World Cup and I think it is important that all the hard work has been put in, including the selections for the playing conditions that we see ourselves facing. Our team is ready to compete, and our team is ready to go further than just the semi-final berth and go and try and clinch the World Cup,” Clinton concluded.
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