CSA have announced the women’s team that will target African dominance in Benoni and Stiaan van Zyl’s wait for Test action should come to an end.
SA Invitational XI for ICC Africa Women’s Trophy
Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Friday announced the 13-woman South Africa invitational XI squad to take part in the annual Pepsi ICC Africa Women’s Trophy 2014.
This four-day T20 tournament, which will feature six of Africa’s most promising women’s teams, will run from 13-16 December 2014 in Benoni.
CSA General Manager of Cricket, Corrie van Zyl said; ‘Women’s cricket has grown in leaps and bounds in South Africa over the last year and a half. The Proteas team has reflected the progress that has been made in women’s cricket on the field through their excellent performances. The ICC Africa tournament also has as its goal – the development of the game amongst women in the continent.
‘This tournament is one of those events that will not just showcase the existing talent in Africa, but also give the cricketers an opportunity to grow in experience and skill level. It is for this reason that South Africa will be sending a representative team to participate in this prestigious tournament and use this opportunity to build capacity within the national structures.’
South Africa Invitational XI:
Nadine Moodley (KwaZulu-Natal), Savanna Cordes (Gauteng), Andrie Steyn (Northerns), Maryka Kirchoff (Border), Akhona Nyiki (Border), Ayabonga Khaka (Border), Marcia Nape (Free State), Masabatha Klaas (Free State), Maggie Mphahlele (Northerns), Michelle Burt (Northerns), Nkuli Thabethe (Gauteng), Nikita Sole (KwaZulu-Natal), Tazmin Britz (North West).
Van Zyl is ready for test cricket
Stiaan van Zyl is ready for test cricket and there is no better time to introduce him to the test arena.
Van Zyl has been picked in the fourteen man test squad that will take on the West Indies in the three match test series. This after a rich vain of form in the Supersport series, South Africa’s four day domestic competition.
Van Zyl scored 933 runs from 10 matches at an average of 58.31, this included three hundreds and four fifties. Van Zyl was the top run scorer in the 2013-2014 first class competition. Van Zyl has been part of the squad before, when they toured Sri-Lanka and Zimbabwe respectively. He did not play on these tours.
Van Zyl is expected to replace the injured JP Duminy for the Centurion test next week. This would mean he will bat number 7, which in most circumstances you would come in at a time when the second new ball has been taken. Van Zyl is used to batting in the number 3 position, so the adjustment shouldn’t be a problem.
‘His call-up is well-deserved. Stiaan is very calm at the crease. A feature of his play is that he has so much time on his hands to play his shots. He has become the full package’, says Cape Cobras teammate Andrew Puttick.
‘His technique is simple, but technically very correct’, added Puttick.
You can draw comparisons of Van Zyl to that of Mr Cricket, Mike Hussey. Hussey only got picked for Australia at age 31, after scoring a massive 15 000 first class runs. Van Zyl is entering the Protea set up at age 27, after scoring nearly 6 000 first class runs. Where both players are equal is they have entered their respective national teams at a time when the teams are at the summit of the test cricket rankings.
With the team in such a healthy space, it can only bode well for Van Zyl starting his test career
Photo: Backpagepix
