South Africa all geared up to take on India

Hilton Moreeng, head coach of South Africa, is satisfied and pleased with the preparation put in by his girls for the upcoming tour of India beginning on September 24. The series, comprising five T20Is, will be played under lights in Surat followed by three ODIs, which will be held in Baroda.

“It will be very exciting to see how things go in India where we are playing against one of the top teams and in their conditions," Moreeng said on Friday (September 13). "If we can do well, I think it can set us up nicely for the season ahead, including our IWC series against New Zealand in January."

South Africa have been working hard over the past few months preparing for the season ahead. The team spent time at the National Academy in Pretoria, with many also participating in an Emerging Series against their Bangladesh counterparts.

Moreeng feels the pre-season camp at Pietermaritzburg was good for girls as it helped the team to focus on various skills which they were lacking.

“Maritzburg was very good for us. It was sort of a pre-season for us as a team. A lot of the focus was on skill work, not just at the camp, but throughout the pre-season at all the different levels."

The head coach further added that with the T20 World Cup just a few months away, the preparatory camp also helped test players’ match awareness and skills.

“In Maritzburg, we brought everyone together and it was a very good exercise for us ahead of India. Again, it’s a World Cup season and it’s very important for us to improve. We want to have a better season ahead, thus the camps and all the planning."

“We also practiced in slow and low conditions. The planning has been spot on, now it’s about execution in those tough conditions. But we have given ourselves a good chance,” he added.

South Africa had a poor outing during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2018 held in the Caribbean. The team failed to progress beyond the group stage, their batting being a major let down through the tournament. As such, they will be hoping to put a better performance in next year's event.

“The bigger picture is always the World Cup… Knowing what is coming, how you’re going to test yourself there against a very good team that knows the conditions well. This tour to India will also (be) about giving youngsters an opportunity knowing that you want to continue growing the team because we know that World Cups are going to come thick and fast now. IWC is also crucial. It’s two-fold for us.”

The squads named to tour India sees the return of Trisha Chetty and Ayabonga Khaka, who had missed the preceding tour due to a long injury lay-off. There are also a few fresh faces - Anneke Bosch and Nonkululeko Mlaba, with the latter being an uncapped player.

“The youngsters are coming through and I think we can safely say that we have three players per position that are competing, This puts us in a better position compared to where we were 12 months ago."

“We also have to look at 2021 when there’s another 50 overs World Cup, so have to be thinking long-term. The youngsters coming through also have a great opportunity to play alongside the experienced girls in the squad, remember some of these girls are playing in T20 leagues and lining up alongside these players is of huge benefit. It’s a really exciting time for young girls to be involved in cricket.”

ODI squad: Sune Luus (c), Tasmin Brits, Trisha Chetty, Nadine de Klerk, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Lara Goodall, Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Mignon du Preez, Laura Wolvaardt

T20I squad: Sune Luus (c), Anneke Bosch, Tasmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, S Ismail, Sinola Jafta, Ayabonga Khaka, Lara Goodall, Lizelle Lee, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Mignon du Preez, Laura Wolvaardt.