Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Thursday (July 23) confirmed that an extended 24-member squad will return to training on July 27 in preparation for the proposed bi-lateral tour of England in September.
The group will assemble in Pretoria on Sunday (June 26) for a week-long training camp which will include skill-based training as well as the pre-season medical assessments. Players will then return to individual training with their provinces between August 3 and 14, before regrouping for a two-week camp beginning on August 16. The players and the support staff will undergo COVID-19 testing before both each camp.
Tazmin Brits and Anneke Bosch have been included the in the training squad for their stellar performance in the 2019-20 domestic season. Bosch topped the run charts in the Provincial League scoring 396 runs from eight matches and Brits was the second highest run getter with 347 runs from nine matches. Brits was the top scorer in the Provincial T20 scoring 369 runs from nine matches, and was also named provincial cricketer of the year.
Those two aside, the batting trio of Lara Goodall, Andrie Steyn and Robyn Searle have also been included in the group.
The rest of the training group consists of familiar faces, with the like of Raisibe Ntozakhe, Zintle Mali, Nondumiso Shangase and Faye Tunnicliffe being given the opportunity to make their case.
South Africa haven’t played an international match since their semi-final exit at the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia in March. Their home series against Australia in late march and the West Indies tour in June were cancelled owing to the restrictions placed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The projected tour of England will have a heavy emphasis on the 50-over format as we start preparing for the ICC Women’s World Cup which is still scheduled to be played in New Zealand early next year,” said Graeme Smith, Director of Cricket for CSA.
“We have been through a frustrating period with our Momentum Proteas not able to build on the excellent form they showed at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and next week’s camp represents an important new starting point.”
The squad will train and live in the High-Performance Centre in Pretoria with all the bio-secure measures in place and will follow social distancing norms. They will be adhering to the strict safety protocols that are in line with guidelines set out by CSA’s COVID-19 steering committee and National Department of Health.
“We were very encouraged by the success of the health protocols in the lead-up to the 3TC Solidarity Cup and on the actual match day as well. Safety remains our priority at all times for players, support staff and all other people involved,” Smith added.
Training Squad : Dané van Niekerk, Lizelle Lee, Marizanne Kapp, Mignon du Preez , Suné Luus, Chloe Tryon, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Trisha Chetty, Sinalo Jafta, Laura Wolvaardt, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nadine de Klerk, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Nondumiso Shangase, Faye Tunnicliffe, Zintle Mali, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Lara Goodall, Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Robyn Searle, Andrie Steyn.
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