Cricket South Africa (CSA) is gearing up to host two national training camps for the South Africa Under-19 Women’s team as preparations begin for the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2027 in Bangladesh and Nepal.
The first training camp will take place from 20-23 March at the CSA Centre of Excellence in Tshwane.
A total of 24 players will attend the first camp, including three promising talents who helped South Africa reach their first-ever U19 Women’s World Cup final, where they finished as runners-up to India in Malaysia.
Ashleigh van Wyk, Diedré van Rensburg, and Chanel Venter are part of the squad, alongside Jané Verhage, who was a non-travelling reserve during that historic tournament.
As part of a broader vision to build a strong foundation for the next World Cup cycle, CSA has identified 50 players through its Talent Acceleration Programme (TAP), following an extensive scouting effort during the national weeks held at the end of 2024.
Head coach Dinesha Devnarain highlighted the thorough selection process undertaken to cast the net wide and ensure no stone is left unturned in unearthing talent across the country.
“While myself and the management team were busy in Malaysia, the TAP leads and the Selectors went to the Under-13 Regional Week, Under-16 National Week and the Under-19 National Week and that's how we got to the 50 identified players.
“What we are also looking to do is a roadshow to go around the country and see that we've touched every avenue and we're not missing any talent that's out there. You know how the Weeks go, sometimes they might not perform at their best.
"So we want to give that opportunity again to go around the country in a less pressured environment”.
HEAVY FOCUS ON SKILLS
The upcoming four-day national camp will focus heavily on skills development and match practice, with a specific emphasis on fitness, an area Devnarain is keen to elevate within the team.
“The first day of camp is just dedicated to fitness. It's something that I want to be better at with this World Cup squad. I want us to set a goal for ourselves to be the fittest team there. And that's a control level.
“We'll put them through two matches. There'll be some skill sessions as well, but just to put them in a live net, see what they're about, see how they operate, how they go about their business, who creates conversation and what type of conversations there are.
“We are really looking forward to working with the new crop of players. We do have some returning players so that will be exciting to see where’s the level at and where are the gaps that we need to cover,” Devnarain continued.
Looking ahead, Devnarain also stressed the importance of blending experience with fresh talent, especially with several players from the previous World Cup squad still eligible for the 2027 campaign.
"It'll sort of be the same message that we said from the 2023 group to the 2025 group, nothing is guaranteed.
“At the end of the day, you’ve still got to meet the demands of international cricket and the brand of cricket that we want to play in South Africa. We also want to match up the girls that have been to World Cups before with the girls that haven’t.
"We want to match up those skills and see what areas we might have to fill as well as just from a mental aspect and creating a culture.
“Really looking forward to heading into the 2027 preparations and to start with 50 girls that did relatively well for their provinces at the national week is an excellent way to start," she concluded.
SA U19 Women Training Camp Squad - 20-23 March
Daneli Boshoff (Boland), Nonhlanhla Danisa (Lions), Magdaleen Ernst (Lions), Tiche Frans (Garden Route Badgers), Jessica Joshua (North West), Miya Lalor (Western Province), Siphokuhle Masilela (Easterns), Kananelo Mokoena (Easterns), Boitumelo Motsabi (Free State), Taymin Muggels (Boland), Shelfa Mukhuri (Limpopo), Rethabile Nthoba (Free State), Lebogang Rakoeane (Free State), Erin Scrooby (Western Province), Gabriella Sequira (Titans), Shreeya Subbiah (Dolphins), Melissa van der Merwe (Boland), Maria Elizabeth van der Vyfer (Boland), Diedré van Rensburg (North West), Imaan van Schalkwyk (Western Province), Mieke van Voorst (Easterns), Ashleigh van Wyk (Easterns), Chanel Venter (Titans) and Jané Verhage (Titans)