Hilton Moreeng stays on to guide Proteas Women
Hilton Moreeng has extended his contract as head coach of the Proteas Women until 2023.
Proteas Women’s coach Hilton Moreeng speaks to players during the first ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Potchefstroom last year. Picture: Gallo Images
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced the re-appointment of Hilton Moreeng as head coach of the Proteas women’s team.
Having guided the national side since 2012, Moreeng would retain the post for at least another three years, the federation confirmed on Wednesday.
Under Moreeng’s leadership, the Proteas Women had evolved into a competitive unit on the global stage.
He led them to the semifinals of both the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2014 and 2020, as well as the Women’s World Cup in 2017.
Following a historic 3-0 ODI whitewash over New Zealand in January, the SA side landed a third-place finish with 25 points behind Australia (39) and England (27) in the ICC Women’s Championship and gained automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup.
“I want to thank Cricket South Africa for the confidence they’ve shown in me to be able to lead this talented group of cricketers into the next phase of their journey,” Moreeng said.
“When I first started, we had a number of young players with a lot of potential. Now they’ve matured and have shown that they can compete with the best in the world.
“The next step is to make sure we compete for a top three world ranking with the aim of winning silverware for South Africa.”
Graeme Smith, CSA’s director of cricket, was pleased with the decision.
“Our Proteas are entering a very important period as they prepare for next year’s ICC Women’s World Cup,” Smith said.
“Their recent performances in both white ball formats have firmly established them as one of the top teams in the world, as witnessed by their recent ODI tour to New Zealand and their performances against the world’s acknowledged leaders, Australia and England, at the recent T20 World Cup.
“Hilton and (captain) Dané van Niekerk have formed an impressive leadership team for the Proteas and Hilton’s re-appointment also means there will be consistency on the road ahead. The Proteas are now well positioned to bid for that World Cup.”
Final plans for the national women’s team’s return to training were progressing, according to CSA, and though a scheduled tour to the West Indies last month was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the federation confirmed it was in talks with the England Cricket Board (ECB) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the possibility of a tri-series later this year.
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