FILE: Proteas Women's captain Laura Wolvaardt.
Image: BackpagePix
The Proteas Women’s team departure for their New Zealand tour has been delayed due to the closure of airspaces in the Middle East due to the on-going conflict between the US-Israel and Iran.
Although a small number of Etihad and Emirates flights departed on Monday and Tuesday from the major transit travel hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the Proteas will forgo their original departure date of Thursday, March 5.
A new date has yet to be determined with Cricket SA and New Zealand Cricket both monitoring the situation.
“CSA’s travel department is working with NZ and all parties to find the best solution for the team to travel for the tour,” a Cricket SA spokesperson told Independent Media.
“Departure dates have shifted a bit but no further information as yet.”
Laura Wolvaardt’s team are set to face the White Ferns in five T20Is, which will be played as a double-header feature with the Proteas Men’s team, and three ODIs that form part of the ICC World Championship ODI series.
The T20I series will also be the first time the two sides will go head-to-head in the shortest format since the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final in Dubai two years ago. The White Ferns beat the Proteas, who have lost successive Women’s T20 World Cup finals, to claim the coveted trophy for the first time.
Coach Mandla Mashimbyi was certainly looking forward to the New Zealand tour as his team prepares for the next Women’s T20 World Cup in England later this year.
“Obviously for me, it's the first time I'll be going to New Zealand, so I don't have any experience from that point of view,” Mashimbyi said after the recently concluded Pakistan ODI series.
“And then it will mean from my side, I'll have to ask some people that have been there before and rely a lot on players that have played there in terms of information and see how I can just put that together and come up with a power plan for us to give ourselves the best chance to win.
“That's my job. I'm going to make sure that I find out the best of what this team can do. So hopefully in New Zealand we find it, and then we can take our momentum into India (April) and the World Cup.”
Proteas Women squad to New Zealand
Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Karabo Meso (wk), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Kayla Reyneke, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloé Tryon and Dané van Niekerk.