Proteas Women won’t take Pakistan lightly

The Momentum Proteas are all set for the series against the Pakistan Women, consisting of three ODIs and three T20Is, with a competitive contest expected at Kingsmead Cricket Ground in Durban.

Setting the Scene:

After a long absence from international cricket, the Proteas Women will be raring to go. They haven’t played together as a unit since the heartbreak in the rain-affected semi-final of the T20 World Cup against Australia.

The Proteas haven’t played together for almost a year and haven’t played 50-over games since the series against the White Ferns back in January-February 2020.

They played three ODIs and four T20Is, with the fifth one being abandoned without a ball bowled. They were emphatic in the ODIs, comfortably beating the White Ferns 3-0. New Zealand then came back strongly in the T20Is, taking the series 3-1.

The last game that the Proteas played against Pakistan was in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which saw the Proteas win by 17 runs.

Although the expectations are high in the camp, for them to come out on top in this series in both the ODIs as well as the T20Is will not be easy. Pakistan is known to fight hard in every game they play and that can be expected in this series.

The Proteas will miss the likes of all-rounders Dané van Niekerk and Chloe Tryon who are both ruled out due to lower-back injuries. Both Dané and Chloe have been vital to the team’s success over the years, however, there is excitement around who will step up in place of these experienced campaigners.

Sune Luus will likely take over the captaincy, as she has done a good job with it in the past, but Momentum Proteas Head Coach Hilton Moreeng stated that “closer to the time an announcement will be made with the captaincy for the upcoming tour”.

Players to Watch:

The Momentum Proteas players to watch in this series are Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus (highest run-scorer of the WSL), Laura Wolvaardt (2nd highest run-scorer of the WSL), Shabnim Ismail, Lizelle Lee and Marizanne Kapp. They have all recently starred in recent overseas T20 tournaments.

Marizanne Kapp missed out on the WSL and therefore she will be keen to get back onto the field and put in key performances for her country, as she has been consistently doing over the years.

It will be interesting to see how many of the young talents in the squad will be given an opportunity.

Some of the Pakistan players to watch out for include top-order batter and their skipper, Javeria Khan, who has a highest score of 133* in ODIs and 74* in T20Is.

Aliya Riaz who is a right-handed batter and also bowls some right-arm medium-fast and Nida Dar, who is arguably the best all-rounder in the Pakistan team, will also give the Proteas some problems.

Dar bats in the top six, with a highest score of 87 in ODIs and 75 in T20Is, and also bowls some right-arm off-break with best bowling figures of 4/15 in ODIs and 5/21 in T20Is.

Full Fixture list:

ODI
20 Jan 21 – Momentum Proteas v Pakistan Women Kingsmead (10h00)
23 Jan 21 – Momentum Proteas v Pakistan Women Kingsmead (10h00)
26 Jan 21 – Momentum Proteas v Pakistan Women Kingsmead (10h00)

T20I
29 Jan 21 – Momentum Proteas v Pakistan Women Kingsmead (15h30)
31 Jan 21 – Momentum Proteas v Pakistan Women Kingsmead (15h30)
3 Feb 21 – Momentum Proteas v Pakistan Women Kingsmead (15h30)

Main quote from the presser:

Hilton Moreeng: “It’s a very strong opposition that we’re playing against and we won’t take it lightly. When you are representing your country you play to win, and Pakistan will be looking to do the same.”

Momentum Proteas squad for the training camp:

Lizelle Lee (North West)
Laura Wolvaardt (Western Province)
Trisha Chetty (KZN Coastal)
Mignon du Preez (Northerns)
Shabnim Ismail (KZN Coastal)
Sune Luus (Northerns)
Ayabonga Khaka (Gauteng)
Maria Klaas (North West)
Nadine de Klerk (Western Province)
Tumi Sekhukhune (North West)
Sinalo Jafta (Western Province)
Lara Goodall (Western Province)
Andrie Steyn (Western Province)
Robyn Searle (Gauteng)
Nonkululeko Mlaba (KZN Coastal)
Faye Tunnicliffe (Western Province)
Tazmin Brits (North West)
Anneke Bosch (North West)
Nondumiso Shangase (KZN Coastal)
Nobulumko Baneti (Border)
Khayakazi Mathe (Border)
Evodia Yekile (North West)
Marizanne Kapp (Eastern Province)
Jenay Winster (SWD)
Kirstie Thompson (Gauteng)