South Africa’s Women Proteas may have lost their long-term sponsor, Momentum, after a 13-year association which enabled and oversaw the transition from amateur to fully professional but, as the old sporting adage confirms, the show must go on.
A busy year for Laura Wolvaardt’s team concludes with the 50-over World Cup in India in October but the build-up starts this weekend with a Triangular ODI series hosted by Sri Lanka and also including India.
Star allrounder, Marizanne Kapp, has been rested for the tournament which features two group matches between the three teams before concluding with a final between the top two teams which has allowed coach Mandla Mashimbyi to give maiden international call-ups to a trio of new faces.
17-year-old wicketkeeper batter, Karabo Meso, is joined by spin bowling allrounders and fellow ODI first-timers Seshnie Naidu and Miane Smit. Seamer Ayanda Hlubi, ‘keeper Mieke de Ridder and batter Lara Goodall have been omitted from the last squad. The invaliable Kapp, meanwhile, is “…continuing her conditioning block in preparation for subsequent tours and the World Cup,” according to a CSA statement.
Legspinner Naidu and Meso both played in the Under-19 T20 World Cup in which South Africa lost to India in the final and have five full T20I caps between them while offspinner Smit was a travelling reserve at the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year.
“It’s a very good squad," head coach Mandla Mashimbyi said. "The mixture of youth and experience helps. It's an opportunity for these girls to show what they can do. Hopefully, whatever we've covered at the camp can be applied in Sri Lanka when we take the field.
"It's an opportunity for us to give Karabo, Miane and Seshnie an opportunity and exposure at this level. Going forward and for the bigger picture, it's important that we expose them as much as possible to international cricket,” Mashimbyi said.
“This tour is an opportunity for us to check where the team is at. It's a work in progress. We want to get to a point where when we get to India in September we are where we need to be as a team. But from a skill point of view, there's still a bit of work to do, and that's what we're busy with at the moment.”
India have never lost a series in Sri Lanka while the hosts, as reigning Asia Cup champions, will be formidable opponents on home soil.
All the matches will be played at the R.Premadasa stadium in Colombo.
SA SQUAD: Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Seshnie Naidu, Laura Goodall, Annerie Dercksen, Nadine de Klerk, Miane Smit, Nondumiso Shangase, Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon, Sinalo Jafta, Tazmin Brits, Karabo Meso, Masabata Klaas, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko
SCHEDULE:
APRIL
27 – Sri Lanka v India
29 – South Africa v India
MAY
1 – South Africa v Sri Lanka
4 – Sri Lanka v India
7 – South Africa v India
9 – South Africa v Sri Lank
11 – FINAL