Andrie Steyn replaces injured Anneke Bosch in SA Cricket World Cup squad

There will be tears of sorrow in the Bosch family after Anneke Elizabeth Bosch was ruled out of the upcoming ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand with an injury.

Bosch, who was in the initial travelling squad announced last week, was not on the chartered flight that flew the Momentum Proteas out of Johannesburg headed for Christchurch via Singapore on Monday.

The 28-year-old East London-born batting all-rounder fractured her right thumb, according to Cricket SA (CSA) and will be replaced like for like by top-order batter Andrie Steyn.

Bosch was named as part of the three travelling reserves and the 25-year-old Durban-born Steyn will slot into that place in the 18-player squad.

Bosch has played nine ODIs for SA and scored 111 runs while Steyn is the younger but more experienced with 33 matches and 765 runs.

Steyn made a case for herself with a brisk half-century to help SA secure a come-from-behind ODI series success over the West Indies at the Wanderers.

Her half-century was the cornerstone of a six-wicket victory that gave SA a 2-1 series triumph, after the first match was washed out.

Like Bosch, Steyn was part of the SA emerging women’s squad that toured Bangladesh in April 2021 and captained the same team which hosted Thailand in August last year.

SA, Australia, England and India qualified for the World Cup on the basis of their positions in the ICC Women's Championship from 2017 to 2020 while New Zealand automatically qualified as they were the hosts.

Bangladesh, Pakistan and West Indies are the other contenders.

The tournament will be played in the league format, where all eight teams will face each other once, at the end of which the top four teams will qualify for the semifinals.

The team’s chartered flight will have a stop in Singapore to refuel and is expected to arrive in Christchurch on Wednesday.

The team are expected to settle in at the same managed isolation and quarantine hotel where the Proteas arrived on Friday.

Momentum Proteas’ 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup squad:

Suné Luus (captain, Titans Ladies), Chloé Tryon (vice-capt, KZN Coastal), Ayabonga Khaka (Lions), Lara Goodall (Western Province), Laura Wolvaardt (Western Province), Lizelle Lee (Dragons), Marizanne Kapp (Eastern Province), Masabata Klaas (Dragons), Mignon du Preez (Titans Ladies), Nonkululeko Mlaba (KZN Coastal), Shabnim Ismail (KZN Coastal), Sinalo Jafta (Western Province), Tazmin Brits (Dragons), Trisha Chetty (KZN Coastal), Tumi Sekhukhune (Lions)

Travelling reserves:

Andrie Steyn (Six Gun Grill Western Province), Nadine de Klerk (Western Province), Raisibe Ntozakhe (Lions)

Management:

Hilton Moreeng (head coach), Dillon du Preez (assistant coach), Sedibu Mohlaba (team manager), Abram Ramoadi (performance analyst), Tshegofatso Gaetsewe (team doctor), Molebatsi Theletsane (physiotherapist) Zane Webster (strength and conditioning coach), Kruger van Wyk (wicketkeeping and fielding consultant), Zahid Shaik (close protection officer), Happiness Mesi (logistics officer/team masseurs), Lita Gqirana (media manager).