Women’s National Academy coach Dinesha Devnarain is pleased with the work put in by the Proteas Women at training camps ahead of the visit of Pakistan.
The women’s national team have not been in action since the end of the T20 World Cup at the beginning of 2020 as the pandemic devastated the game.
Coaches pleased with Proteas work
Devnarain is happy with the work that has been done in less than ideal circumstances and is confident of a good showing against Pakistan.
The Proteas women side have been in camp for the past five days as they prepare for their first action since the domestic T20 Women’s Super League.
Some of the national squad were in action during the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia last year, showing few effects of being stuck in an extended lockdown.
Devnarain hopes that the national team camps will offset the challenges posed by the lockdown.
“We were blessed enough to host a lot of camps leading up to this series that has helped our preparations to go well now and hopefully we can have a good showcase of cricket,” said Devnarain from Kingsmead which will host all of the internationals against Pakistan.
“We have quite a few of the young academy players here and now It is a great opportunity for them and the players who have done well in the WSL (Women Super League) to take that performance to international cricket. I just hope they go out there with a fearless brand of cricket and hopefully can be match-winners for their country, especially with a few of our senior players missing out due to injury.”
Devnarain, who serves in a dual role as Under-19 coach and head of the academy, wants to impart as much of her knowledge of conditions in Durban as possible ahead of the series.
“Luckily, I am from Durban and in terms of acclimatizing I can give the girls few tips here and there. However, that alone will not give us the edge, at the end of the day we have to play a good brand of cricket that will show how far we have come as a team and be cognizant that Pakistan are a very good side that will give us a good run for our money.” said Devnarain.
The first ODI between the Proteas and will be played at Kingsmead on 20 January with the match going out live on SuperSport from 10:00.
