Odine Kirsten to replace Andrie Steyn in South Africa squad for Women's World Cup

The ongoing Women’s World Cup has grabbed eyeballs for spectacular performances match after match. South Africa, in particular, were too good for the West Indies. The Proteas captain Dane van Niekerk picked up 4 wickets from 3.2 overs, without giving away a single run against the Windies who were bundled out for 48. South Africa made short work of the total.

From the four games they’ve played, South Africa have won 2, while one game was washed out. However, they were handed a 68-run defeat at the hands of hosts England. Chasing a massive 374, South Africa managed to cross the 300-run mark by just 5 runs. The Proteas are now in the 4th position in the standings, while Australia and India lead the pack with 8 points each.

Andrie Steyn out with an injured ankle

However, South Africa suffered a minor setback after Andrie Steyn injured her ankle during a training session. The Proteas batsman has not played in the World Cup in England.

The ICC has thus confirmed that the Event Technical Committee of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 has approved Odine Kirsten as the replacement for Steyn in the South Africa squad for the remainder of the tournament.

Steyn’s replacement Kirsten has played nine ODIs for the Proteas. She has bagged nine wickets and scored 35 runs in total. In two T20Is, the 22-year-old Kirsten has taken one wicket and scored five runs.

As per the laws laid out by the ICC for the Women’s World Cup, the replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee. Once the player has received clearance from the Event Technical Committee, she can be officially added to the squad.

South Africa’s next opponent will be the undefeated Indians. The two teams will clash on July 8 at Leicester’s Grace Road stadium. Their final two games are against Sri Lanka and current table-toppers Australia. The top four teams after the league stage qualify for the semi-finals.