Three of the top young stars of the Senwes North West Dragons women’s team have been given the amazing opportunity to represent the SA u.19 team against Namibia in four T20 International matches in Benoni from 13 to 14 July.
Elandri Janse van Rensburg (17), Anica Swart (17) and Nthabiseng Nini (16) will form part of this exciting young team. Both Elandri and Anica are grade 11 learners at Potchefstroom Gimnasium. They have put up some fantastic performances with bat and ball in the past season and deserve a shot at national colours.
Nini won the award of best NWU Dragons women bowler at the 2021 NW Cricket awards, and her upward trajectory has been nothing but incredible, having made her Dragons debut at the tender age of 14.
NW Dragons head coach, Wynand Schmitt, was naturally pleased that his players have made it to the next level with a chance to represent SA at the 2023 u.19 women’s T20 Cricket World Cup in South Africa.
A good performance against Namibia will go a long way in staking a claim for the final World Cup spots. “I am delighted that they have been chosen for this group. They deserve it because of all their hard work. They have been performing for the Dragons women’s team for a while now.” Schmitt also lauded the players’ consistency as one of the reasons for their success.
“Nthabiseng has been putting the ball in the right areas, and we are working on keeping that consistency. The same can be said of Elandri and Anica as batters. The key has been to focus on their strengths and eliminate their weaknesses,” added Schmitt. SA u.19 women’s head coach Dinesha Devnarain also mentioned the importance of growing young players into top cricketers for the future.
“We will focus on our growth, the learnings that will take place and, of course, meeting international cricket demands. “This is a fantastic group with lots of energy and eagerness to learn. That creates a healthy working environment, making the job easier as a coach. “I do not doubt they will be good custodians of SA women’s cricket. We look forward to putting the plans in place, growing young minds, and changing mindsets,” said Devnarain.
