Anneke Bosch, Delmi Tucker, Nadine de Klerk earn South Africa women’s contracts ahead of 2023/24 season

Johannesburg: Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Monday announced the latest 15-player Proteas women’s contracted squad, in effect from May 1, ahead of an enthralling 2023/24 season.

There are two new national contracts for all-rounders, Anneke Bosch and Delmi Tucker. Fast-bowling all-rounder Nadine de Klerk also receives her first contract since 2021/22. The trio featured regularly throughout the last year, replacing the now-retired trio of Dané van Niekerk, Trisha Chetty and Lizelle Lee.

In the upcoming campaign and on the back of a historic runners-up finish in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 on home soil, the Proteas Women will next face a trip to the subcontinent with back-to-back bilateral tours against Pakistan and India in September and October this year.

“After an incredibly inspirational display at the T20 World Cup in February this year, we are really excited about the make-up of this squad and the next evolutional step this crop of players will take next season and for years to come, as the Proteas Women continue to compete at the highest level in world cricket,” Pholetsi Moseki, CSA Chief Executive Officer, said in an official statement.

South Africa will then host Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at the end of 2023 in two consecutive homebound tours featuring two respective three-match, One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) series across December and January 2024.

The Proteas will wrap up their 2023/24 season with an intriguing multi-format contest away from home against Australia in March 2024, with the recent T20 World Cup finalists going head-to-head over three ODIs, three T20Is as well as a solitary Test match.

All of the team’s 50-over matches in the next 12 months will form part of South Africa’s ICC Women’s Championship 2022 – 25 campaign as part of the qualification expedition towards the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup that will be held in India.

“With the current group of players going from strength to strength, we are pleased to retain the core of the squad for what is set to be another exciting chapter in the Proteas Women story.”

“We have the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 50-over edition in 2025 on the horizon and we are thrilled to be embarking on this journey with an uber-talented squad including a blend of experienced and youthful players who still have a lot to give for their country and the green and gold. The future excites us all,” added Enoch Nkwe, Director of Cricket.

Proteas Women 2023/24 Contracted Squad: Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloé Tryon, Delmi Tucker and Laura Wolvaardt

–IANS