First-Ever Full-Contract Momentum Proteas Team

Cricket South Africa (CSA) today announced the expanded list of nationally contracted members of the Momentum Proteas women’s team, following the the CSA Board resolution to increase the number of contracts from six to 14.

The new contracts have been awarded to the following players: Suné Luus, Lizelle Lee, Moseline Daniels, Chloe Tryon, Ayabonga Khaka, Nadine Moodley, Bernadine Bezuidenhout and Andrie Steyn.

The six players to have had their contracts renewed are: Mignon du Preez (capt), Marcia Letsoalo, Dané van Niekerk, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp and Trisha Chetty.

CSA General Manager of Cricket, Corrie van Zyl expressed his satisfaction that this latest move will be the catalyst that grows the women’s game even further in South Africa.

“As part of our vision of making cricket a truly national sport of winners and making the game accessible to all, I believe that this latest awarding of eight contracts will be a fundamental step in assisting the Momentum Proteas Women’s team to realise their goal of being one of the top 4 countries in world cricket.

“This now means that the squad that will be going on tour to England will be the first fully contracted women’s cricket squad in South African history and that is something that we are all proud of.

“The awarding of these contracts is also a reward for all the players who have been part of the game for many years with little or no recompense, and I believe it will draw out more interest in younger girls and make them see the potential of a career in cricket.

“At the same time, these contracts and the elevated profile of Women’s Cricket through Momentum’s partnership does demand a higher level of responsibility from the players towards the game of cricket, its fans and other stakeholders.”

The contract announcement comes in conjunction with the announcement of the women’s team that will be headed to England for two three-match Twenty20 (T20) international series against England and Ireland from 1-7 September 2014.

“It’s always great having good news before a tour as important as this,” head coach, Hilton Moreeng said. “The players have worked hard and have sacrificed a lot to be a part of this team, and the hard work and loyalty they have shown the game is finally paying off.

“This next step is vital for the progression of the women’s game and it shows CSA’s commitment to making our team one of the best in the world.

“The morale of the team is high over the news of the contracts and the support we’ve been extremely fortunate to receive from a fantastic sponsor like Momentum has moved our national team to a whole new level.

“We are all of the same mind in terms of the direction that we want to see the brand of women’s cricket take. Having a fully-contracted team is definitely one of the key elements in our getting there.”

Charlene Lackay, Head of External Communications at Momentum said: “Momentum is extremely pleased that our journey with the ladies team is continuing in such a positive light. The inclusion of all the ladies on our national team, on contracts is a meaningful development in support of women’s sport in South Africa.

“The ladies have shown their determination and grit by their steady progression up the world rankings, and we eagerly look forward to their England tour later this month.

“We are immensely proud of their achievements. As a company who places great value on diversity, we are glad to be showing our ethos in support of the ladies, especially as their status as role models for gender equality increases.”

Photo 1 caption: Most of the eight new national contracted players, which provide South Africa with their first-ever fully-contracted Momentum Proteas Women’s Cricket Team, have been a part of South Africa’s recent success on the international cricket circuit. Seen here after thumping Sri Lanka 2-0 in a rain-affected ODI series, the Momentum Proteas were pictured in October 2013 ahead of their 3-match T20 series against Sri Lanka in Potchefstroom. Photo: CSA

(With editing by gsport)