SA u19 Women start ICC World Cup Campaign

January 2023

Willowmoore Park, Benoni, 14th January 2023

Western Province Women Cricketers Jemma Botha and Kayla Reyneke will don the Protea-badged Green and Gold today, as they face India in the ICC u19 Women’s Cricket World Cup.

Western Province Cricket wishes Jemma and Kayla all the best for this ground-breaking tournament. It is the first-ever u19 Women’s Cricket World Cup, and it is an honour for it to be hosted on South African soil.

Excerpts from the Official ICC Media Release

The inaugural ICC Under19 Women’s T20 World Cup starts on Saturday, 14 January in Benoni in South Africa, and a number of candidates are keen to put their hand up for the maiden title.

Hosts South Africa will be hoping to be inspired by home fans, as they kick off their tournament against India. Captain Oluhle Siyo said: “We’ve really enjoyed our build-up to the tournament. I know that results may not look the way that a lot of people would have liked, but we’ve learned a lot from them and have a good plan for the tournament. It’s so exciting to be a part of history being made. This is a massive occasion, and we only want to make our country, families and selves proud.” (Ed: We are incredibly proud of you)

The senior World Cup pedigree of Australia means they will always be in the conversation for global titles, and they have enjoyed a strong build-up to the tournament. Bangladesh’s young side is highly motivated to follow in the footsteps of their male counterparts and make it back-to-back junior World Cup wins in South Africa. They have hit the ground running, impressing with two victories in their preparations for a title challenge.

Another side that went unbeaten in the warm-up phase was Sri Lanka, ably led by Vishmi Gunaratne. India may have lost to Bangladesh, but they did get the better of Australia on Monday. They have brought a varied attack to South Africa, along with some genuine firepower in the batting ranks. Richa Ghosh has already broken into the senior Indian women’s side, and she is expected to light up this tournament with her big hitting.

There is always an element of surprise in these tournaments, and all 16 teams will fancy producing an upset on any given day. One of the newcomers to this level are Rwanda, but they showed that they will not be overawed as they held on to defeat Amy Hunter’s Ireland by a solitary run in their warm-up fixture on Wednesday.

New Zealand and Pakistan are well organized and have kept a low profile thus far, but they are primed to mount a big challenge when the tournament gets going.

England are well led by Grace Scrivens, who also expressed just what a massive opportunity this tournament represents for all the teams.“We are so excited to get going. We’re the first group who will get to take part in ICC Under 19 Women’s T20 World Cup, and the first group who’ll get a chance to represent our country,” Scrivens said.

“It’s a really big step for Women’s cricket, and it continues the game’s journey. A big part of growing women’s cricket is giving the game the profile that allows young girls to watch and be inspired to pick up a bat or ball and start playing the game, and it’s great to think that we’re a part of this in this tournament as well as the other teams,” she added.

SA Opening Fixtures

All SA Group D matches will be played at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, and commence at 13h45 SAST. The matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport in Southern Africa.

Saturday 14th January vs India

Monday 16th January vs Scotland

Wednesday 18th January vs UAE