Dercksen and Brits called up to world cup squad

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Both Annerie Dercksen and Tazmin Brits from the Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers' women's team have been included in the Momentum Proteas world cup squad for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup.

The 2023 ICC Women's T20 World Cup is the eighth edition of the tournament, and will be hosted in South Africa for the first time.

The tournament will take place from 10 to 26 February and will be held at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town; St George's Park Cricket Ground in Gqeberha; and Boland Park in Paarl.

It is the second landmark ICC tournament that South Africa is hosting this year, having successfully hosted the inaugural ICC Women's U19 T20 World Cup last month.

With it being South Africa's first time hosting the tournament and given that the Protea Women are going into the tournament on the back of some decent form, there will be high hopes that our ladies will put on a good show.

Two players from the Southern Cape will hope to play a big role as the Garden Route Badgers' very own Tazmin Brits and Annerie Dercksen have been recalled to the squad for the world cup.

Annerie Derksen receives her first Proteas cap before the match against West Indies. Photo: Michael Sheehan/Gallo Images

The duo were a part of the Protea Women's squad that faced off against India and West Indies in a recent tri-series (the final of this is played on 2 February between the Proteas and India).

Dercksen made her debut in the second game against West Indies, where she didn't have a chance to bat but did get a bowl, conceding 21 runs in her two overs.

Brits on the other hand has a fair amount of experience in the Proteas shirt, with 12 ODIs and 28 T20Is to her name prior to the tri-series. In the Proteas' pursuit of the target of 97 set by the West Indies, Brits and her opening partner Laura Wolvaardt steered the side to a 10-wicket victory.

Brits bagged herself a 50 not-out too, which was her fifth half-century in the T20I format.

The 15-woman squad was announced on Tuesday 31 January, with the notable exception of former captain Dané van Niekerk who missed out yet again for not meeting fitness requirements.

The Garden Route Badgers' Micaéla Andrews was also included in the announcement as a non-travelling reserve. The Proteas' world cup campaign will kick off on 10 February in a clash with Sri Lanka at Newlands.

Annerie Dercksen