South Africa announce squad for women's tri-series; Marizanne Kapp rested

South Africa women's squad will see the inclusion of 17-year-old wicketkeeper Karabo Meso and spin all-rounders Seshnie Naidu and Miane Smit, who have all received their maiden ODI call-ups for the upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka, featuring South Africa, the home team and India.

Veteran all-rounder Marizanne Kapp has been rested as she prepares for the fixtures ahead and the World Cup in India.

“She continues her conditioning block in preparation for the subsequent tours and the World Cup in India,” CSA release stated.

Naidu and Meso were part of the Under-19 T20 World Cup, where South Africa finished as runners-up. Both have also represented in T20 Internationals, with Naidu making three appearances and Meso playing twice. Smit, meanwhile, was a travelling reserve for the 2024 T20 World Cup held in the UAE.

Nondumiso Shangase returns to the squad for the first time since South Africa’s tour of India in June 2024. The right-arm medium pacer Ayanda Hlubi, wicketkeeper Mieke de Ridder and opener Lara Goodall have been left out of the squad.

“It’s a very good squad. The mixture of youth and experience helps. It’s an opportunity for these girls to show what they can do. Hopefully, whatever we’ve covered at the camp can be applied in Sri Lanka when we take the field.

“For me, it’s not an opportunity for Karabo, Miane and Seshnie anymore. It’s an opportunity for us to give them exposure at this level. Going forward and for the bigger picture, it’s important that we expose them as much as possible to international cricket,” said head coach Mandla Mashimbyi as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

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The coach admitted that the tour was seen as a chance to assess the team’s current status, acknowledging ongoing progress and skill development, aiming to be fully prepared for the ODI World Cup in India.

“This tour is an opportunity for us to check where the team is at. It’s a work in progress. We want to get to a point where when we get to India in September [for the ODI World Cup}, we are where we need to be as a team. But from a skill point of view, there’s still a bit of work to do, and that’s what we’re busy with at the moment,” she added.

The tri-series will be held between April 27 and May 11, and all the matches will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.