The South African selectors have named a 15-member squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup in UAE, with a mix of experienced performers and exciting youngsters. Under Laura Wolvaardt’s leadership, this squad has also included 18-year-old uncapped leg-spinner Seshnie Naidu, who has come into the selectors’ radar after a phenomenal show for South Africa’s U19 and Emerging teams.
The Women’s T20 World Cup, which runs from October 3 to 20 in the UAE, is set to have South Africa lock horns with England, Bangladesh, Scotland, and the West Indies in Group B. The tournament will be Wolvaardt’s first as captain of South Africa at a World Cup, after Sune Luus resigned from white-ball captaincy in August last year. Luus, though, remains the vital cog in the squad that also sports senior stars such as Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, and Chloe Tryon.
The selectors thus have expressed confidence in the balance and readiness of the squad, which was picked based on recent form, fitness, and the strategic demands of the T20 format. Significantly, Nadine de Klerk has been included in the hope she will recover from an Achilles injury in time for the tournament.
The team would then fine-tune their preparations with three T20 matches against Pakistan in Multan from September 16-20 before leaving for the UAE. As many as three young talents have been named in the squad, namely Ayanda Hlubi and Annerie Dercksen, proving how much emphasis is on the development of young talent in the team. Especially Naidu’s leg-spin is expected to be the real “X-factor” in the spin-friendly conditions that are expected in the UAE.
South Africa squad for Women’s T20 World Cup:
Laura Wolvaardt (Captain), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon
Travelling Reserve: Miane Smit
Bring experienced players together with some youthful exuberance, and the South Africans will be pretty confident of a good outing in this year’s competition, which is a build-up from their good run to the final of the previous edition of the T20 World Cup.
Also, see:
Scotland Names Squad for Historic ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Debut
