NEWLANDS: In a proud and symbolic moment, the South Africa U19 Women’s World Cup Squad were officially capped at a special ceremony at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday.
The event, themed ‘Capping Future Stars of the Game,’ was held during Day 3 of the Proteas Men’s Test match against Pakistan, marking the Junior Proteas’ final preparations for the second edition of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025.
The tournament, set to take place in Malaysia from 18 January to 02 February 2025, will see South Africa making its second appearance on the global stage. Drawn in Group C, the SA U19 Women will face Samoa, New Zealand, and fellow African side Nigeria in the group stages.
Head Coach Dinesha Devnarain, who continues to lead the team with passion, praised the players’ readiness for the challenge:
“We’ve worked hard over the last 18 months to ensure that we take the best 15 players to the World Cup. I’m particularly pleased with the eight returning players who have put in the hard yards and earned their place again. This is a unique group of players, some of whom have already been exposed to senior cricket, which will be crucial in bringing experience to the team.
“The level of cricket in the Women’s Pro Series has also helped elevate our players to a higher standard, and that experience is vital. We always emphasise transferring learnings from domestic cricket or past World Cups to the younger players who haven’t had that exposure.
“We are focused on the task ahead and confident that the team will do South Africa proud,” said Devnarain.
The team will remain in the Cape Winelands until 10 January, based at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport, where they will play in three T20 practice matches against the USA U19 Women on 06, 07, and 08 January. These games are a critical part of the team’s preparation, along with official World Cup warm-up matches against Ireland on 13 January and India on 15 January.
As the SA U19 Women’s team prepares to compete on the world stage, CSA calls on all South Africans to rally behind these future stars.
South Africa U19 Women Squad: ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 (18 January – 02 February)
Kayla Reyneke (Captain,Western Province), 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 (Dragons), Luyanda Nzuza (Free State), Diara Ramlakan (Lions), Diedré van Rensburg (North West Dragons), Mieke van Voorst (Eastern Storm), Ashleigh van Wyk (Eastern Storm), Chanel Venter (Titans).
Non-travelling Reserves
Lethabo Bidli (Lions), Keamogetswe Chuene (Lions), Jenna-Lee Lubbe (Lions), Jané Verhage (Titans), Sinelethu Yaso (Western Province).
Management
Dinesha Devnarain (Head Coach), Marcia Letsoalo (Team Manager), PJ Jansen (Batting Coach), Angelique Taai (Bowling Coach), Trisha Chetty (Fielding Coach), Adele van Eck (High-Performance Analyst), Dr Dhavina Naidoo (Team Doctor), Esther Bhengu (Physiotherapist), Stacey-Lee Hercules (Strength and Conditioning Coach), Terrence Adonis (Educator), Alungile Nyakambi (Media Specialist) .
SA U19 Women Fixtures: ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 (18 January – 02 February)
Monday, 13 January @ 08h30 SAST: 1st Warm-Up: South Africa U19 vs Ireland (Selangor Turf Club, Kaula Lumpur)
Wednesday, 15 January @ 08h30 SAST: 2nd Warm-Up: India vs South Africa U19 (YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi)
Saturday, 18 January @ 08h30 SAST – 1st Match: New Zealand vs South Africa U19 (Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak)
Monday, 20 January @ 08h30 SAST – 2nd Match: South Africa U19 vs Samoa (Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak)
Wednesday, 22 January @ 08h30 SAST – 3rd Match: South Africa U19 vs Nigeria (Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak)
Saturday, 25 January – Wednesday, 29 January – Super Six Stage
Friday, 31 January @ 04h30 SAST – 1st Semi-final (Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur)
Friday, 31 January @ 08h30 SAST – 2nd Semi-final (Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur)
Sunday, 02 February @ 08h30 SAST – Final (Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur)
Source: cricket.co.za
Fanie de Villiers: Fanie de Villiers is a former cricketer who earned 83 ODI caps and 18 Test caps for South Africa. Working as a commentator after his retirement, he played an important role in exposing the 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal; he was the first person to spot the Australians’ underhanded tactics and asked the camera operators to keep tabs on the Australians.
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Sport Trivia: Where did Naas Botha play his first test match for South Africa? Answer: Wanderers – Naas Botha was selected to play for South Africa at Rugby Union after playing for the SA Under 20 squad. He made his debut against South America on 26 April 1980 at the Wanderers Stadium, recognised as a cricket ground. This was due to the fact that Ellis Park had been demolished in 1979 to be rebuilt.
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Asif Karim has also played tennis for his country in the Davis Cup.