Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced a 17-player Proteas squad for the T20 International Tri-Series against India and the West Indies, at Buffalo Park Stadium in East London between 19 January and February.

Captain Dané van Niekerk was the big omission, with Suné Luus continuing as stand-in skipper.

“Dané is not out of contention for the World Cup. She just didn’t make the tri-series,” said coach Hilton Moreeng.

Van Niekerk’s omission is particularly concerning considering former Proteas Women player Lizelle Lee retired in 2022, citing issues with weight and fitness criteria at CSA.

“Are the fitness requirements fair? Yes, it’s fair to everyone. Each and every player knows the benchmark and what they need to do to get to that,” said Moreeng in reply to media questions on Wednesday.

Suné Luus of South Africa bats during the 3rd Royal London Series One-Day International against England at Uptonsteel County Ground in Leicester on 18 July 2022. (Photo: Dan Mullan / Getty Images)

“She’s a quality cricketer. Any environment will be blessed to have her as a cricketer, but at the end of the day we as a team have enough cricketers that we have been giving opportunities and have been putting their hands up in different roles, hence we have such a dynamic squad.

Read in Daily Maverick: “Questions after star Proteas batter Lizelle Lee quits international cricket in middle of tour to England”

“We feel on any given day an opportunity can be given to anyone and they can be a potential match-winner. Each and every member of the squad knows what is required, even at domestic level. The standards players need to adhere to in order to play — it’s where we are as a team and as a country and the direction we want to move to.”

This was to make sure that every player met the minimum standards in the “fitness battery”.

New faces

There are two uncapped players included in the tri-series squad.

Promising Garden Route Badgers all-rounder Annerie Dercksen has been chosen alongside Titans and SA Emerging wicketkeeper Tebogo Macheke. Both were at recent national training camps while delivering consistent performances in the domestic competitions. 

“As we go into our final preparation for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, I believe the tri-series is a great opportunity for us to close out the squad,” said Proteas Women convenor of selectors Clinton du Preez.

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“We are quite excited and looking forward to the tri-series and the players that have been included in the squad. It’s (also) a great opportunity for everybody to really come out and stake a claim for the World Cup.

“The uncapped players included have been part of the recent camps and have grown immensely. Annerie, as an all-rounder, will bring much depth to the squad and versatility within the team. Tebogo has been working hard and will add an additional option as a wicketkeeper… it’s great for them to be a part of it.”

Macheke comes in as the second-choice wicketkeeper since Trisha Chetty was not available for selection owing to a recurring back injury.

Captain Dané van Niekerk bowls for the Starlights against SA Under 19 during the CSA Women’s T20 Super League at Newlands on 12 December 2022. (Photo: Grant Pitcher / Gallo Images)

World Cup momentum

The T20I World Cup in South Africa begins just eight days after the tri-series final. The matches against India and West Indies thus serve as the perfect preparation for the tournament despite neither team being in their group.

“The build-up has been very good. It’s been a while that we’ve been working. The squad has been gelling very nicely over the last couple of days,” said Moreeng. “The combinations have been coming on well as a squad. We’re in a very positive mood and everyone knows where they fit in.”

South Africa has made the semifinals of the past three limited-overs World Cups. The motivation will be to go at least one better this time, he added. “Thus far the squad has been preparing well and we’re working exceptionally hard to put our focus onto the upcoming World Cup.

“We’ve been in the semifinals a couple of times. Now is an opportunity to see if we can push further to get into a final. There’s enough experience around the team to give ourselves another chance to get in the final.

“We set high standards and to get ourselves into a final is one of the things we’re looking to do.” DM

Proteas Women squad:

Suné Luus (Titans — captain), Chloé Tryon (Dolphins — vice-captain), Anneke Bosch (North West Dragons), Tazmin Brits (Garden Route Badgers), Nadine de Klerk (Western Province), Annerie Dercksen (Garden Route Badgers), Lara Goodall (Western Province), Shabnim Ismail (Dolphins), Sinalo Jafta (Western Province), Marizanne Kapp (Eastern Province), Ayabonga Khaka (Lions), Masabata Klaas (North West Dragons), Tebogo Macheke (Titans), Nonkululeko Mlaba (Dolphins), Tumi Sekhukhune (Lions), Delmi Tucker (Western Province), Laura Wolvaardt (Western Province)