Proteas Women’s Lara Goodall is back to full fitness and showed during the Hollywoodbets Pro50 competition that she is returning to her best form. File Picture: John Mallett, ProSports, Shutterstock via BackpagePix (13036105bc)
Zaahier Adams
Western Province duo Faye Tunnicliffe and Lara Goodall have been recalled to the Proteas T20I and ODI squads, respectively, for the upcoming home series against England, it was revealed on Monday.
Tunnicliffe, 25, missed out on the recent ICC T20 Women’s World Cup in the UAE, where the Proteas finished runners-up for the second consecutive year, and last played for the Proteas against India in Lucknow back in 2021.
The hard-hitting top-order batter has been in dominant form for Province in the Hollywoodbets Pro20 competition over the last couple of years. She was also the leading run-scorer for the SA Emerging XI at the All Africa Games in Ghana earlier this year.
Equally, Goodall, who has struggled with a hamstring injury this year, is back to full fitness and showed during the Hollywoodbets Pro50 competition that she is returning to her best form.
The Proteas convenor of selectors, Clinton du Preez, shared insights into the selection process: “The selection focused on white-ball cricket, with the T20I series giving us a great platform to provide opportunities to some players who have been on the radar, based on their performances over the last year.
“The ODIs allow us to continue with our preparation for the ICC Cricket World Cup and to solidify our position in the ICC Women's Championship,” he stated.
Du Preez continued, “Faye Tunnicliffe has put in some prolific and impactful performances for her province and has been making steady progress at recently held national camps. Lara Goodall has shown some positive strides domestically, and we are positive that she will be in a position to impact the ODI series with her skill.”
The experienced Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka have been rested for the T20I series but will return for the ODIs. This has opened the door for all-rounders Eliz-Mari Marx and Nondumiso Shangase to be included in the T20I squad.
Proteas Women’s team interim coach Dillon du Preez expressed excitement about the upcoming series: “Everyone is looking forward to the multi-format series against England, and we know it's not going to be an easy one.
“It's always a tough series against them. We know that we need to make sure that our planning is spot on, and so far it's been interesting.”
He elaborated on the team's approach, stating, “We would like to have the same approach as we had in the recent T20 World Cup.
“We still want to grow as a team and continue working on our T20 playing philosophy. So we decided to give one or two players a chance in the T20I series to prove themselves and also to give us a chance to look at what stock we have available and what skills we need to work on.”
Proteas Women T20I Squad: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Suné Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Chloé Tryon (DP World Lions), Faye Tunnicliffe
Proteas Women ODI Squad: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Lara Goodall, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Chloé Tryon
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