Hosts South Africa are determined to make a strong start against international visitors Sri Lanka after their pre-tour camp in Johannesburg, ahead of the commencement of the inbound T20 International series starting at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Wednesday, 27 March, 2024.
Speaking at the start of the squad’s first training session at the Redhill School in Sandton, top-order batter Suné Luus shared her eagerness for the upcoming battle against the Sri Lankan outfit.
“It’s been quite a long season but a successful one,” Luus noted.
“It will be good for us to finish off the season with a good couple of series wins. Sri Lanka is a very talented squad, we know what they bring. All the subcontinent teams are very spin-dominant and they’re very good at their skill.
Proteas Women top-order batter, Suné Luus
“It’s also a bit concerning that (Chamari) Athapaththu didn’t score in the WPL, so she’s due some runs. We’re playing at grounds where sometimes it’s very spin-conducive, so it’s going to be a bit of a challenge, but a good challenge. We’ve had Bangladesh over in December, which is kind of the same vibe.”
“We have a very good squad, some new faces as well, which is very exciting. Just excited to get the series up and away,” the 28-year-old added.
Head coach Hilton Moreeng emphasised the importance of preparation over the coming days to help the team take their best foot forward when the action gets underway in next week’s first T20I in Benoni. The Proteas have previously experienced slow starts to tours throughout the season, including an opening-series loss against Bangladesh in December.
“At the end of the day, what’s going to be key is how we focus. We work and we speak about these things and it’s just unfortunate for us it’s become a pattern that we don’t want to be accustomed to and we need to make sure that we don’t play catch-up cricket.
“From the first ball, we need to make sure we’re ready for what is coming. The two teams have played a lot of cricket against each other and they know each other very well. There shouldn’t be a lot of surprises,” the coach said.
Echoing her coach’s sentiments, Luus added: “It’s always important for us to start and end well. In the first game, we need to be up and running and get that momentum on our side. We start a little bit slow, but we’re in-season and there’s been a lot of domestic games happening as well, so there shouldn’t be any rustiness there.
“Everyone’s good to go and should be ready on Wednesday,” the right-hander said.
After a T20I career spanning almost 14 years since making her debut in September 2012, Luus is on the verge of becoming the most-capped T20I Proteas Women player, eclipsing former captain Mignon du Preez’s record of 114 caps for South Africa.
Reflecting on the impending achievement, Luus revealed her shock at possibly becoming the most capped T20I player for her country.
“I didn’t even know that was a thing. It’s scary to think that I’m only 28 and I’m gonna be the most capped, but it’s a huge honour to be playing so many caps for South Africa and to wear the green and gold, and to do it alongside people I’ve been growing up with and my family is gonna be there as well. it’s gonna be an amazing day and it’s a very good day in my career,” Luus said.
Fixtures – South Africa Inbound Tour vs Sri Lanka 2023/24 (All times Central African Time CAT)
T20 International Series
Wed 27 Mar, 18h00: 1st T20I – South Africa vs Sri Lanka (Willowmoore Park, Benoni)
Sat 30 Mar, 14h00: 2nd T20I – South Africa vs Sri Lanka (JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom)
Wed 3 Apr, 18h00: 3rd T20I – South Africa vs Sri Lanka (Buffalo Park, East London)
50-over Warm-Up Match
Sat 6 Apr, 10h00: South Africa XI vs Sri Lanka XI (Buffalo Park, East London)
One-Day International Series – ICC Women’s Championship
Tue 9 Apr, 14h00: 1st ODI – South Africa vs Sri Lanka (Buffalo Park, East London)
Sat 13 Apr, 14h00: 2nd ODI – South Africa vs Sri Lanka (Diamond Oval, Kimberley)
Wed 17 Apr, 14h00: 3rd ODI – South Africa vs Sri Lanka (JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom)
Proteas Women Squad for the Inbound T20 International Series against Sri Lanka
Laura Wolvaardt (Fidelity Titans, Captain)
Anneke Bosch (Fidelity Titans)
Tazmin Brits (Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers)
Nadine de Klerk (World Sports Betting Western Province)
Annerie Dercksen (Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers)
Sinalo Jafta (DP World Lions)
Marizanne Kapp (World Sports Betting Western Province)
Ayabonga Khaka (DP World Lions)
Masabata Klaas (Fidelity Titans)
Suné Luus (Fidelity Titans)
Eliz-Mari Marx (Fidelity Titans)
Karabo Meso* (DP World Lions)
Nonkululeko Mlaba (Hollywoodbets Dolphins)
Tumi Sekhukhune (DP World Lions)
Chloé Tryon (DP World Lions)
Uncapped*
The Sri Lanka Squad for the T20I and ODI Series
Chamari Athapaththu (Captain)
Vishmi Gunaratne
Nilakshi de Silva
Harshitha Samarawickrama
Hasini Perera
Anushka Sanjeewani
Oshadi Ranasinghe
Udeshika Prabodhani
Kavisha Dilhari
Inoka Ranaweera
Achini Kulasuriya
Hansima Karunaratne
Imesha Dulani
Kawya Kavindi
Inoshi Fernando
Sugandika Kumari
Prasadini Weerakkody
Photo Caption: Hosts South Africa are determined to make a strong start against Sri Lanka after their pre-tour camp in Johannesburg, ahead of the commencement of the inbound T20 International series starting at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Wednesday, 27 March, 2024. Photo: Cricket South Africa/Gallo Images
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