Johannesburg - If Nadine de Klerk is to carve open a spot in the South African team once some of the bigger names return, then the remainder of the Proteas tour to Ireland will be crucial for the 22 year old all-rounder.
De Klerk has been on the cusp of breaking into the starting team for a few years but never alongside Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle lee and Dane van Niekerk. It’s always a case of being a replacement.
However she has the requisite skills to play alongside them, but will have to prove that on a more consistent basis, with the Ireland tour an ideal opportunity to do so. “She has the opportunity on this tour to put up her hand, she’s played second fiddle to some of the big names who aren’t here, and has had to take a step back and await her opportunity,” said skipper Sune Luus.
De Klerk was South Africa’s best bowler in the opening T20 International in Dublin last Friday, which the tourists lost by 10 runs. It was a listless performance by Luus’s side particularly in the first halves of both innings’. But De Klerk’s value shone through - she bowled accurately, mixed up her pace and finished with figures of 1/17. Thanks to her efforts South Africa had a reasonable shot of chasing Ireland’s total. That they failed, was down to a slow start with the bat and then having established a foundation, losing wickets at regular intervals late in the chase.
De Klerk’s a powerful batter too, but in the current SA team and even in the one containing the big names, she will most likely be tasked with ‘finishing’ the innings, something she is capable of , but which needs more work. “I think on this tour, she has to take the responsibility of being the main all-rounder for us and leading from the front,” Luus added.
That was an assessment shared by South Africa’s vice captain, Chloe Tryon, who felt Tumi Sekhkhune, although not as proficient with the bat as De Klerk was in a similar boat. “Getting these opportunities and putting up your hand is really important to give the selectors a headache. They are not usually in the starting eleven, they have been working really hard back home and that hard work is starting to show. I’m really excited to see how they are going to play in the rest of this series,” said Tryon.
South Africa will play the Irish in the second of the three T20 Internationals at Pembroke Cricket Club on Monday evening (5.30pm SA time), knowing they need a more efficient start with bat and ball to put an enthusiastic home team under pressure.
“ We’re looking to play with more intent.” said Tryon, who like Luus, bemoaned the sluggish performance and also the team’s failure to adapt to the slower pitch conditions quickly enough last Friday.
Squads
Ireland: Gaby Lewis (capt), Alana Dalzell, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Sarah Forbes, Shauna Kavanagh, Arlene Kelly, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Kate McEvoy, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Celeste Raack, Mary Waldron
South Africa: Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Trisha Chetty, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus (capt), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Tumi Sekhukhune, Andrie Steyn, Chloe Tryon, Delmi Tucker, Laura Wolvaardt
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