South Africa’s Test match against England going to be interesting: Dane van Niekerk

Johannesburg, Feb 18 (SocialNews.XYZ) Injured South Africa women's cricket team captain Dane van Niekerk is excited about the prospect of her team playing a Test match against England later in the year. South Africa are scheduled to visit England for three ODIs and as many T20Is in June and July 2022.

But the highlight of the tour is that it will be started by a one-off Test from June 27 to 30 at the County Ground in Taunton. The one-off Test will mark South Africa's first appearance in Tests since playing India at Mysore in November 2014. That Test was also Dane's debut match in the format and also the only one till date.

"It's going to be interesting. We'll need to do a lot of work in terms of the tactics and the way we approach the game. We've only ever been playing limited overs cricket really and the tactics for Tests are completely different," said Dane to the official website of Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Friday.

"But it will be exciting to see how things go tactically and the choices we'll have to make. That will be a highlight because we've only played one Test in my time - and we failed miserably in that game.

Hopefully I will be part of it and be able to make a valuable contribution," added Dane, who is not going to be a part of the Women's Cricket World Cup due to a freak ankle injury.

The Taunton Test against England will be just the fifth Test for South Africa since the start of the 21st century and only their 12th overall red-ball match. Dane hopes that with the noise increasing for women's Test cricket, it gets a regular slot in the domestic circuit too.

"I think Test cricket's something that's good for the women's game. I always say that I wish I'd grown up with it, but I never had that opportunity because it was not a format the women regularly played. It really brings about the best in you as a player."

"I think the era that I'm now in as a player is to try and set that format up for the next generation so that it becomes a feature in women's cricket, both at schools and going to provincial cricket as well. That the red-ball game can become more regular and something that can appeal to the public as well."

Though she is not there for the World Cup in New Zealand due to the ankle injury, Dane is hopeful of being fit for the tour to England followed by the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. "The main goal is to be part of those squads. I'd really like to not 'not' play for my country anymore."

Source: IANS