SCHOOLS SA20 STARS FEATURE HEAVILY IN SA U19 WOMEN SQUAD FOR IRELAND SERIES

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced a 15-strong South Africa U19 Women’s squad to take on Ireland U19 in a five-match Youth T20 International (T20I) series featuring a number of Schools SA20 players.

The series will be held at the Groenkloof Oval in Tshwane, marking a key step in the team's preparation for the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025, set to be hosted in Malaysia.

The 15-player squad includes seven players who were part of South Africa's squad at the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in 2023. This group includes Jemma Botha, Mona-Lisa Legodi, Simoné Lourens, Karabo Meso, Seshnie Naidu, Nthabiseng Nini, and Kayla Reyneke, who bring valuable youth international experience.

Additionally, Diara Ramlakan, a reserve for the 2023 World Cup, has also been called up for this exciting series.

All of Botha (Wynberg Girls' High School), Lourens (Hoërskool Garsfontein), Meso and Ramlakan (both Steyn City School) have been eligible to play in Schools SA20 and, in fact, Meso and Ramlakan have both scored hundreds on the way to helping Steyn City win the Central Gauteng Lions title. Similarly, newbies Deidre van Rensburg (Potchefstroom Gimnasium, North West), Ashley van Wyk (Hoërskool Marais Viljoen, Easterns) and Chanel Venter (Hoërskool Zwartkop, Titans) have helped their schools to various degrees of success in their provinces.

Notably, both Naidu and Meso have progressed to the senior national team, making their Proteas Women debuts in the past year. Naidu is currently representing South Africa in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the United Arab Emirates.

Head coach Dinesha Devnarain emphasised the importance of the upcoming series, highlighting it as a vital opportunity to test the team's skills ahead of the 2025 ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup. "It's paramount. Any type of cricket at this age group is crucial. Having an international team come to our home conditions is a great test to see where we stand, both in terms of skill and preparation for the World Cup."

Devnarain also praised the returning players from the 2023 World Cup squad, stating, "Even though we have returning players, they still had to earn their spots. Players like Seshnie Naidu, Karabo Meso, Kayla Reyneke, Nthabiseng Nini, and Mona-Lisa Legodi will play massive roles with their World Cup experience and senior provincial cricket exposure. They understand the team's culture and standards, both on and off the field, and will be key in guiding the team."

Regarding the series goals, the coach expressed the desire for a series win but emphasised the importance of continual improvement. "In the high-performance space, we look for that one percent improvement. We’ll benchmark against our previous series to see how we’re shaping up. If we nail our brand of cricket, regardless of the results, we’ll be heading in the right direction."

SA U19 Women Convenor of Selectors, AJ Rudman, commented:

“We are incredibly excited to see the South Africa U19 Women return to competitive action on home soil. This series against Ireland offers a fantastic opportunity for these talented youngsters to gain vital match experience as they prepare for the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia next year.

“I would like to congratulate the 15 future stars who have been selected to represent South Africa. We wish them, as well as the coaching staff under the guidance of Dinesha Devnarain, all the best in this important series.”

SOUTH AFRICA UNDER-19 WOMEN SQUAD FOR IRELAND SERIES

Jemma Botha (Western Province), Fay Cowling (Lions), Jae-Leigh Filander (Western Province), Mona-Lisa Legodi (Titans), Simoné Lourens (Titans), Karabo Meso (Lions), Seshnie Naidu (Dolphins), Nthabiseng Nini (North West Dragons), Luyanda Nzuza (Knights), Diara Ramlakan (Lions), Kayla Reyneke (Western Province), Diedré van Rensburg (North West Dragons), Mieke van Voorst (Easterns), Ashleigh van Wyk (Easterns), Chanel Venter (Titans).

FIXTURES

Monday, 28 October

1st Youth T20I @ 09h30: South Africa U19 Women vs Ireland U19 (Groenkloof Oval, Tshwane)

2nd Youth T20I @ 14h00: South Africa U19 Women vs Ireland U19 (Groenkloof Oval, Tshwane)

Wednesday, 30 October

3rd Youth T20I @ 14h00: South Africa U19 Women vs Ireland (Groenkloof Oval, Tshwane)

Friday, 1 November

4th Youth T20I @ 09h30: South Africa U19 Women vs Ireland U19 (Groenkloof Oval, Tshwane)

5th Youth T20I @ 14h00: South Africa U19 Women vs Ireland U19 (Groenkloof Oval, Tshwane)

Article courtesy Cricket South Africa Media.