Venue: Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Date: Friday, 28 January
BetXchange Odds:
South Africa Women – 4/10
West Indies Women – 2/1
Form
In the absence of injured captain Dané van Niekerk, the Momentum Proteas will be led in the park by experienced all-rounder Suné Luus with Chloé Tryon to serve as her vice-captain for the series.
Both teams are using the scheduled four matches to finalise their preparations before
departing for the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup being hosted in New Zealand between March and April.
South Africa
Momentum Proteas will be looking to continue with the recent rich vein of form of the past year when they take on the West Indies in the first of four ODIs to be played at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
South African Women’s team go into this series, following wins over Pakistan (3-0), India (1-4) and West Indies (1-4) where they registered eleven wins in their thirteen ODI matches during what has been a memorable 2021.
Hilton Moreeng’s charges will be motivated to clinch their a fourth series in succession in this series which counts as this four-match series is part of their final preparations before the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup to be hosted by New Zealand.
West Indies
For Windies Women, eyes will be on their premier offspinner Anisa Mohammed as she goes into this bilateral series, four wickets shy of becoming the first West Indies women’s player to reach 300 wickets in international cricket.
West Indies head coach Courtney Walsh included 34-year-old legspinner Afy Fletcher, who is making a return from maternity leave having last played for West Indies in a T20I against England in September 2020, in his 18-member squad.
There are also three uncapped players in the form of left-arm spinner Kaysia Schultz, batter Mandy Mangru and right-arm seamer Jannillea Glasgow who will be looking to impress away from home.
Schultz, Mangru and Glasgow were part of West Indies Women’s A side that played against Pakistan Women A last July.
There will also be revenge in their minds as the last time these they faced each other, in the West Indies in September last year, South Africa thrashed the hosts 4-0 in the five-match ODI series and drew the three-match T20I series 1-1.
Best Bets
West Indies Women looks to be spinner heavy in their bowling attack and they may be surprised by conditions at the Bullring which traditionally assist fast bowlers and may work in favour of South African Women.
