Share

Van Niekerk upbeat over Proteas' chances in England

Cape Town - Proteas skipper Dane van Niekerk says her troops are excited and up for the massive challenge of facing World Cup winners, England in their own backyard.

The Proteas women face England in the first of three ODIs on Saturday in Worcester.

"We're quite excited. We know it's going to be a big challenge," said Van Niekerk.

"They are the World Cup winners and we know what they can bring in. They are fierce competitors, so we are quite excited to see how we are going to match up against them."

England defeated South Africa twice in Bristol during last year's Women's Cricket World Cup - by 68 runs in a high-scoring league match and by two wickets with only two balls remaining in the semi-final - and that is something South Africa want to rectify.

"The World Cup was a great experience for us. We know the conditions really well. We will see what they give us. Last time was a bitter pill to swallow so it will be good to rectify what went wrong," she said.

"As a captain, I will always back my team and I will say we have a very good chance against them. We have several world-class players in our side as do they. I think it is going to be a great match up and a very good series to be part of."

South Africa are looking to fast bowlers Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka to make the most of the English conditions.

"I have always loved our bowling, backed our bowling. I'm expected to see what our bowlers can do in these conditions," said the Proteas captain.

"We have spoken a lot about our plans, in depth planning. If the batters start firing, we are as dangerous as any other batting unit in the world."

In their respective first series, England lost 1-2 to Australia in an away tour while South Africa lost by the same margin to India at home.

Series schedule:

June 9 - 1st ODI, Worcester

June 12 - 2nd ODI, Hove

June 15 - 3rd ODI, Canterbury

The squads:

England: Heather Knight (captain), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones, Laura Marsh, Anya Shrubsole, Nat Sciver, Sarah Taylor, Lauren Winfield, Danni Wyatt

South Africa: Dané van Niekerk (captain), Tazmin Brits, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Stacey Lackay,.Lizelle Lee, Suné Luus, Zintle Mali, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Mignon du Preez, Andrie Steyn, Chloe Tryon, Laura Wolvaardt

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1814 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1774 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1082 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 459 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 186 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE