In a proud and symbolic moment, the South Africa Under-19 Women’s World Cup Squad were officially capped at a special ceremony at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday.
The event, themed ‘Capping Future Stars of the Game,’ was held during Day 3 of the Proteas Men’s Test match against Pakistan, marking the Junior Proteas’ final preparations for the second edition of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025.
The tournament, set to take place in Malaysia from 18 January to 2 February, will see South Africa making its second appearance on the global stage. Drawn in Group C, the SA U19 Women will face Samoa, New Zealand and fellow African side Nigeria in the group stages.
Head Coach Dinesha Devnarain, who continues to lead the team with passion, praised the players’ readiness for the challenge:
“We’ve worked hard over the last 18 months to ensure that we take the best 15 players to the World Cup. I’m particularly pleased with the eight returning players who have put in the hard yards and earned their place again. This is a unique group of players, some of whom have already been exposed to senior cricket, which will be crucial in bringing experience to the team.
"The level of cricket in the Women’s Pro Series has also helped elevate our players to a higher standard, and that experience is vital. We always emphasise transferring learnings from domestic cricket or past World Cups to the younger players who haven’t had that exposure.
“We are focused on the task ahead and confident that the team will do South Africa proud," said Devnarain.
The team will remain in the Cape Winelands until Friday, based at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport, where they will play in three T20 practice matches against the USA U19 Women on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. These games are a critical part of the team’s preparation, along with official World Cup warm-up matches against Ireland on 13 January and India on 15 January.
As the SA U19 Women’s team prepares to compete on the world stage, CSA calls on all South Africans to rally behind these future stars.
South Africa U19 Women Squad
Kayla Reyneke (Captain, Western Province), Jemma Botha (Western Province), Fay Cowling (Lions), Jae-Leigh Filander (Western Province), Mona-Lisa Legodi (Titans), Simoné Lourens (Titans), Karabo Meso (Lions), Seshnie Naidu (Dolphins), Nthabiseng Nini (Dragons), Luyanda Nzuza (Free State), Diara Ramlakan (Lions), Diedré van Rensburg (Dragons), Mieke van Voorst (Storm), Ashleigh van Wyk (Storm), Chanel Venter (Titans).
Non-travelling Reserves
Lethabo Bidli (Lions), Keamogetswe Chuene (Lions), Jenna-Lee Lubbe (Lions), Jané Verhage (Titans), Sinelethu Yaso (Western Province).
Management
Dinesha Devnarain (Head Coach), Marcia Letsoalo (Team Manager), PJ Jansen (Batting Coach), Angelique Taai (Bowling Coach), Trisha Chetty (Fielding Coach), Adele van Eck (High-Performance Analyst), Dr Dhavina Naidoo (Team Doctor), Esther Bhengu (Physiotherapist), Stacey-Lee Hercules (Strength and Conditioning Coach), Terrence Adonis (Educator), Alungile Nyakambi (Media Specialist).
SA U19 Women Fixtures
Monday, 13 January @ 8.30am SAST: First Warm-Up: South Africa U19 v Ireland (Selangor Turf Club, Kaula Lumpur)
Wednesday, 15 January @ 8.30am SAST: Second Warm-Up: India v South Africa U19 (YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi)
Saturday, 18 January @ 8.30am SAST - First Match: New Zealand v South Africa U19 (Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak)
Monday, 20 January @ 8.30am SAST - Second Match: South Africa U19 v Samoa (Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak)
Wednesday, 22 January @ 8.30am SAST - Third Match: South Africa U19 v Nigeria (Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak)
Saturday, 25 January - Wednesday, 29 January - Super Six Stage
Friday, 31 January @ 4.30am SAST - First Semi-final (Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur)
Friday, 31 January @ 8.30am SAST - Second Semi-final (Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur)
Sunday, 2 February @ 8.30am SAST - Final (Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur)
Comments