Skipper lauds young Proteas

Proteas Women captain Dané van Niekerk (above) was delighted by the way the junior players shone through during the T20 international series against Sri Lanka that concluded on Wednesday, saying it was a wake-up call for some of the seniors in the fast-evolving national team.

South Africa wrapped up a 3-0 whitewash of the tourists with a comfortable 39-run victory at SuperSport Park to go with their wins by seven and two wickets respectively in the previous two matches.

The relatively inexperienced Tazmin Brits and Lara Goodall were among the top five run-getters behind leading batswoman Van Niekerk, while Nadine de Klerk shone with the ball.

“You have to breed new blood and you have to give them opportunities to flourish,” the skipper said. “There were some tough decisions (made regarding selection), but these players that came in really picked up their hands enough to get into the set-up.

“They’ve now come out and shown the country that they deserve to be in the South African team. It was really good, and it makes me proud as the captain.”

Van Niekerk also admitted that the pool of national players was now widening due to the impressive performances of the youngsters that have entered the fold. She said it would mean that no player could take their place for granted in the future.

The South Africans now take on their Sri Lankan counterparts in a three-match ICC Women’s Championship One-Day International Series starting on Monday.