Johannesburg: South Africa women's cricket team is all set to return to training from Monday to start the preparation for the proposed tour of England in September.
"The Proteas Women will return to squad training on Monday in preparation for the proposed tour of England in September. A National High-Performance squad, consisting of 24 players, will assemble in Pretoria on Sunday for a week-long skills-based training camp at the Powerade High-Performance Centre (HPC). The camp will include pre-season medical assessments," CSA said in a statement.
The players will then return to their respective provinces for individual training from August 2-14 before regrouping for a two-week camp from August 16-27. This will be the first time the players train together since March.
"During the camps, the squad will train and live on-site at the HPC in a bio-secure environment. The venue will adhere to strict safety protocols in accordance with guidelines set out by CSA's COVID-19 steering committee and approved by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), an arm of the National Department of Health," the statement read.
Players and coaches will observe social distancing measures throughout in line with government regulations. This week players and support staff are undergoing COVID-19 testing and will be required to test again before entering the second camp.
CSA Director of Cricket Graeme Smith said safety remains their priority at all times for players, support staff and all other people involved.
"We were very encouraged by the success of the health protocols in the lead-up to the 3TC Solidarity Cup and on the actual match day as well. Safety remains our priority at all times for players, support staff and all other people involved," Smith said in a statement.
"The projected tour of England will have a heavy emphasis on the 50-over format as we start preparing for the ICC Women's World Cup which is still scheduled to be played in New Zealand early next year. We have been through a frustrating period with our Momentum Proteas not able to build on the excellent form they showed at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup and next week's camp represents an important new starting point," he added.
The squad announced by the CSA consists of Dane van Niekerk, Lizelle Lee, Marizanne Kapp, Mignon du Preez, Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Maria Klaas, Trisha Chetty, Sinalo Jafta, Laura Wolvaardt, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nadine de Klerk, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Nondumiso Shangase, Faye Tunnicliffe, Zintle Mali, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Lara Goodall, Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Robyn Searle, Andrie Steyn.
