Adapting and overcoming situations are some of the skills Proteas Women's coach Mandla Mashimbyi wants to work on in training camp ahead of their Tri-Series in Sri Lanka later this month.
The Proteas will face India and Sri Lanka in a set of One Day Internationals in Colombo from April 27 to May 11. The Proteas play four group matches and if they finish on top, will make a final match of the series.
Three rookies are among the 20 players who have been called up to Pretoria to sharpen their skills ahead of the series, including wicketkeeper Karabo Meso, Mianè Smith and spinner Seshnie Naidu.
Meso and Naidu returned runners-up from the recent T20 U19 World Cup in Malaysia, where they went undefeated through the tournament before losing to India in the final.
Season all-rounder Marizanne Kapp will miss the camp as well as the series because of her performance training goals ahead of the Women’s ICC World Cup later this year in India.
The series in Sri-Lanka will give the ladies a nice feel of the conditions on the sub-continent, which are generally hot, thick with humidity and rain.
Head coach Mashimbiyi said he wants to keep things simple and focus on the basics like running between wickets. Mashimbiyi also wants to tackle their mental game as well.
“We'll focus a lot on running between the wicket, playing a rotational game, and building on that through scenario-based matches, which will help improve awareness.," said Mashimbyi.
"There will also be nets for skill development, and there'll also be a lot of education around team culture.
"We're trying to focus on a holistic player from a culture point of view, skill point of view, and mindset point of view.
"At the moment, we need to understand how to adapt to different conditions, how to play various situations, and also how to get out of sticky situations.
"We've got to focus on that, and it's all about making players understand when they're on top, how they go about it, and when they're under pressure, how they go about it as well.
“It's important that we make them feel at home first, and then after that, we encourage them to be themselves, and if there are opportunities for them to play, they can make a big impact for us and themselves as cricketers,” he said.
Proteas Women Training Camp Squad:
Laura Wolvaardt (Captain) (Fidelity Titans), Anneke Bosch (Fidelity Titans), Tazmin Brits (DP World Lions), Nadine de Klerk (World Sports Betting Western Province), Annerie Dercksen (Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers), Lara Goodall (World Sports Betting Western Province), Ayanda Hlubi (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Sinalo Jafta (DP World Lions), Ayabonga Khaka (DP World Lions), Masabata Klaas (Fidelity Titans), Suné Luus (Fidelity Titans) Eliz-Mari Marx (Fidelity Titans), Karabo Meso (DP World Lions), Nonkululeko Mlaba (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Seshnie Naidu (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Tumi Sekhukhune (DP World Lions), Nondumiso Shangase (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Miané Smit (Knights), Chloé Tryon (DP World Lions) and Faye Tunnicliffe (World Sports Betting Western Province)