SA trio part of ICC’s elite for starring roles

THREE South …

That’s not a joke – it’s how many members of Dane van Niekerk’s squad have been named in the International Cricket Council’s team of the 2017 World Cup.

Van Niekerk herself was among them‚ along with Marizanne Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt.

England‚ who beat India by nine runs in a white-knuckle final at Lord’s on Sunday‚ have four players in the side and another on the bench. Three Indian players were named. Leg-spinner Van Niekerk was the tournament’s leading bowler with 15 scalps at an average of 10.00‚ an economy rate of 3.46 and a strike-rate of 17.3.

Fast bowler Kapp was second to Van Niekerk among the leading wicket-takers with 13.

Opening batter Wolvaardt‚ who turned 18 in April‚ scored 324 runs at an average of 64.80.

SA played exciting cricket and gained legions of supporters among neutrals. They won four of their seven matches and lost two‚ and reached the semifinals – where they went down to England by two wickets in a nail-biter. ICC team of the 2017 World Cup: Tamsin Beaumont (Eng)‚ Laura Wolvaardt (SA)‚ Mithali Raj (capt‚ India)‚ Ellyse Perry (Aus)‚ Sarah Taylor (Eng)‚ Harmanpreet Kaur (India)‚ Deepti Sharma (India)‚ Marizanne Kapp (SA)‚ Dane van Niekerk (SA)‚ Anya Shrubsole (Eng)‚ Alex Hartley (Eng). 12th-man: Natalie Sciver (Eng).

● SA will be without JP Duminy for the rest of their Test series in England. Duminy was dropped for the second Test at Trent Bridge‚ which SA won by 340 runs to level the rubber.

Team management said yesterday he would return home before the third Test at The Oval‚ which starts on Thursday. That might spell the end of Duminy’s Test career‚ in which he has played 46 matches and scored 2 103 runs at 32.85 with six tons. His last 15 completed Test innings have yielded only one century. — DDC Africans walk into a dressingroom