Cricket South Africa has announced the official appointment of Laura Wolvaardt as captain of the Proteas Women for all three formats, along with the 15-player T20 International (T20I) squad set to face Bangladesh in the white ball tour on home soil, from 3 – 23 December, 2023.
Wolvaardt takes over the reins full-time after her successful tenure as interim captain in the recent tours against Pakistan and New Zealand, where she led from the front with the bat, helping her team to back-to-back 2-1 ODI series victories.
The 24-year-old newly appointed South African captain will have a squad of youth and experience. SA U19 and SA Emerging young talent, Ayanda Hlubi and Eliz-Mari Marx have earned their maiden international call-ups for the T20I series that will take place from 3-8 December.
Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers all-rounder Annerie Dercksen, has been rewarded for her solid performances at both domestic and Emerging level and will re-join the national set-up for the first time since injuring her hand over the winter period.
Contracted players Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka will miss out of the T20I series due to injury. All-rounder Marizanne Kapp will be rested for the T20Is but will re-join the team for the ODI series.
Clinton du Preez, Proteas Women Convenor of Selectors, says that having Laura Wolvaardt as the official captain, together with a blend of young and experienced players bodes well for their succession planning.
“It will also assist within the excitement we have around the squad in giving young players an opportunity and therefore we are looking forward to seeing them put up their hand and make impactful performances in this upcoming tour.”
“A few of our senior players are not available for the T20-leg of the Bangladesh Tour due to injury and those returning from the Women’s Big Bash League.
“We are excited to provide an opportunity to our extended identified group, especially on the back of some injuries. This allows us to have an in-depth look at players for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup taking place next year in Bangladesh.
“The inclusion of Ayanda Hlubi and Eliz-Mari Marx gives great confidence to rewarding performances at the professional level. They have been instrumental with their domestic performances in the past season for their respective provinces,”
Proteas Women head coach, Hilton Moreeng says that from their perspective, it is about continuing the good work that has been done.
“For the T20Is, this is where we are going to look, where possible, to blend in youngsters and give an opportunity to expose them at this level to keep growing the base. Overall, we have a lot of good youngsters coming through and the squad is becoming stronger and stronger every day with a more challenging environment, so we as a team are looking forward to that.”
“It’s another opportunity for some of these youngsters to show what they can do while not losing sight of what we want to achieve overall when it comes to the entire tour,” the head coach concluded.
The Proteas Women squad that will compete in the three-match One-Day series will be announced ahead of the 50-over encounters which are being held in East London, Potchefstroom and Benoni between 16 – 23 December. The ODI matches form part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 (IWC) in pursuit of qualification for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.
Proteas Women T20I Squad vs Bangladesh (2023/24)
Laura Wolvaardt – Captain (Fidelity Titans)
Anneke Bosch (Fidelity Titans)
Tazmin Brits (Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers)
Annerie Dercksen (Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers)
Mieke de Ridder (Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers)
Lara Goodall (Western Province)
Ayanda Hlubi (Hollywoodbets Dolphins) (Debut)
Sinalo Jafta (DP World Lions)
Masabata Klaas (Fidelity Titans)
Suné Luus (Fidelity Titans)
Eliz-Mari Marx (Fidelity Titans) (Debut)
Nonkululeko Mlaba (Hollywoodbets Dolphins)
Tumi Sekhukhune (DP World Lions)
Nondumiso Shangase (Hollywoodbets Dolphins)
Delmi Tucker (Western Province)
South Africa vs Bangladesh T20 International Series
Sun 3 Dec, 14h00 – 1st T20I – South Africa vs Bangladesh (Willowmoore Park, Benoni)
Wed 6 Dec, 18h00 – 2nd T20I – South Africa vs Bangladesh (Kimberley Oval, Kimberley)
Fri 8 Dec, 18h00 – 3rd T20I – South Africa vs Bangladesh (Kimberley Oval, Kimberley)
50 Over Warm-Up Match
Tue 12 Dec, 10h00 – SA Emerging vs Bangladesh XI (Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein)
South Africa vs Bangladesh One-Day International Series (ICC Women’s Championship)
Sat 16 Dec, 14h00 – 1st ODI – South Africa vs Bangladesh (Buffalo Park, East London)
Wed 20 Dec, 14h00 – 2nd ODI – South Africa vs Bangladesh (JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom)
Sat 23 Dec, 14h00 – 3rd ODI – South Africa vs Bangladesh (Willowmoore Park, Benoni)
Photo Caption: Cricket South Africa has announced the official appointment of Laura Wolvaardt as captain of the Proteas Women for all three formats, along with the T20 International squad to face Bangladesh on home soil between 3-23 December. Photo: Supplied
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