Suné Luus is thrilled about the prospect of taking on the challenge of red-ball cricket with a younger crop of players as the Momentum Proteas finalize their preparation for the once-off test match against England at the Country Ground in Taunton between 27 – 30 June.
The intriguing four-day match gets underway from 11h00 local time (12h00 SA time), with the live action televised on SuperSport Cricket (Ch. 212).
Ahead of her pre-match press conference on Sunday, it was confirmed that the duo of vice-captain, Chloé Tryon, and fast bowler, Shabnim Ismail have been ruled out of the match due to a hip injury and calf strain respectively, while seamer, Ayabonga Khaka is not considered for selection in the longest format of the game.
Although Luus will be without the services of the hugely experienced trio, she remains positive ahead of tomorrow’s clash, with the focus shifting to the younger players who will be getting the chance to impress.
“Obviously we would have loved to have the likes of Aya, Shabnim and Chloé in our test squad, with the experience they bring and just the skill set they have, but we still have an amazing team,” Luus commented.
“We come off an amazing warm-up match, where some of the younger players really performed and put up their hands, so I am still very excited for the test match and to see what the new players can do.
“We are all new players in test cricket, so it is going to be something different for all of us but it’s still exciting and I am very excited for the younger players coming through,” she added.
South Africa last played a test match in 2014 against India in Mysore and have featured in a total of 12 tests in their history, with only five matches played in the red-ball format since 2002 with the only triumph coming at home against the Netherlands in 2007.
Against England, who boast a test record of 20 wins and 63 draws in 97 games, the two nations last faced off in a two-match series back in 2003, with the Proteas going down 1-0 away from home. The overall record between England and South Africa stands at two wins for the hosts, with four drawn clashes in their six-match history.
The only players in the traveling party with previous test experience include Marizanne Kapp, Trisha Chetty and Lizelle Lee, while Tryon and Ismail’s input will also be useful despite them not being involved in the encounter.
With the majority of the players selected tomorrow set to make their debuts in the once-off test, Luus spoke proudly about donning their green baggies for the first time.
“It’s a huge opportunity and a great honour for us to be wearing our test caps for the first time. There are a lot of people making debuts tomorrow and it is going to be a very special day for us. It’s a new format for most of us, so it is going to be very exciting and to see how the four days go.
“Personally, I am very excited. It is going to be a dream to play test match cricket. It’s not always a big thing for women’s cricket, but I am glad we have this opportunity and hopefully we can make the most of it so that there will be more opportunities in the future.” she said.
On the team’s acclimatisation to the conditions in Taunton, having played their warm-up match against England ‘A’ in Arundel last week, the allrounder said: “I haven’t been there at the ground in a long time, it will be awesome to see where we are going to play at and what the conditions are going to be like. It looks very cold and rainy outside for five minutes, then the next five minutes it’s bright and sunny, so it’s going to be a challenge for us in the next few days weatherwise,”.
An added element to the test match will be the battle for the four points on offer as part of the multiformat tour that also includes three one-day internationals (ODI) and three T20 Internationals (T20I) that will go for two points per match as the two sides battle for the overall tour winners.
Momentum Proteas Squad for England Tour - Test & ODIs:
Anneke Bosch (Senwes Dragons), Trisha Chetty (Hollywoodbets KZN Coastal), Nadine de Klerk (Six Gun Grill Western Province), Lara Goodall (Six Gun Grill Western Province), Shabnim Ismail (Hollywoodbets KZN Coastal), Sinalo Jafta (Six Gun Grill Western Province) Marizanne Kapp (Eastern Province), Ayabonga Khaka (Imperial Lions), Lizelle Lee (Senwes Dragons), Suné Luus (Titans Ladies), Nonkululeko Mlaba (Hollywoodbets KZN Coastal), Tumi Sekhukhune (Imperial Lions), Andrie Steyn (Six Gun Grill Western Province), Chloé Tryon (Hollywoodbets KZN Coastal), Laura Wolvaardt (Six Gun Grill Western Province)
Momentum Proteas Tour to England Itinerary:
Only Test – Monday, 27 June – Thursday June 30 @ 11h00 local time – Once-off Test – England vs South Africa (Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton)
Warm-Up Matches – Monday, 04 July @ 14h00 local time – T20 – South Africa vs England A (Cheltenham CC, Cheltenham)
Thursday, 07 July @ 11h00 local time – 50-over – South Africa vs England A (Cheltenham CC, Cheltenham)
One-Day International Series – Monday, 11 July @ 14h00 local time – 1st ODI – England vs South Africa (The County Ground, Northampton)
Friday, 15 July @ 14h00 local time – 2nd ODI – England vs South Africa (Bristol County Ground, Bristol)
Monday, 18 July @ 14h00 local time – 3rd ODI – England vs South Africa (The Uptonsteel CountyGround, Leicester)
T20 Series – Thursday, 21 July @ 19h00 local time – 1st T20 – England vs South Africa (The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford)
Saturday, 23 July @ 14h30 local time – 2nd T20 – England vs South Africa (Blackfinch New Road, Worcester)
Monday, 25 July @ 18h30 local time – 3rd T20 – England vs South Africa (The Incora County Ground, Derby)