Former Namibia cricketer Yasmeen Khan has made herself available for South Africa and has been included in a 28-player red-ball training camp to prepare for two home Tests against India and Australia this season. Yasmeen, who has played 117 T20Is for Namibia and captained them 27 times, was born in George, a coastal town between Cape Town and Gqeberha, and plays for Dolphins, based in Durban. She recently played for the South African women's emerging team in a series against Bangladesh and is eligible for the country of her birth.
Yasmeen is one of six players uncapped by South Africa to be included in the expanded squad. Allrounders Alexandra Candler and Nicolien Janse van Rensburg, batter Izel Cilliers and wicket-keepers Simone Lourens and Tebogo Macheke are the other five. They will join regulars including captain Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk and Nonkululeko Mlaba.
Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, and Chloe Tryon, who were all at the WCPL, have not been named in this group. There is still no clarity on Dane van Niekerk's international future while Ayabonga Khaka is unavailable for Tests.
South Africa will play India in the first Test of the season from December 9 to 12 in Gqeberha and are scheduled to play Australia in Potchefstroom between April 11 and 14 next year for their 17th and 18th Tests respectively.
The Australia match may be moved a few days to accommodate for changes in the schedule necessitated by the inaugural Women's Champions Trophy in February, but is certain to go ahead, and South Africa want to make sure their red-ball squad is ready. South Africa will hold two red-ball intensives in September and October this year, with an expanded squad in order to expose as many players as possible to the longer format. The camps will focus on red-ball skills development and the second will include a first-of-its-kind practice match. Currently, South African women's domestic teams do not play any red-ball cricket.
"Preparing for and playing red-ball cricket is something that excites us as players and coaches," Mandla Mashimbyi, South Africa's coach said. "We are a team that is always eager to learn and grow as cricketers, and the longer format of the game goes a long way towards helping us achieve that continuous development. We've purposefully cast the net wide with the players we have invited to the camp, with the aim of building a solid base of cricketers we can look to when it comes to the skills and mentality required to be successful in red-ball cricket and beyond."
Mashimbyi, who has a successful history in red-ball cricket coaching the men's domestic side Titans, has long advocated for more first-class cricket for the women's team in order to develop their skills. When he was appointed in December 2024, he said playing long-format cricket would aid the team in their white-ball game and he still believes that. "It also gives us an opportunity to enhance our technical and tactical blueprint, which is not only applicable to the longer format but will also help us prepare for the challenges ahead in one-day international and T20 International cricket," Mashimbyi said.
South Africa have not won a Test in five attempts, dating back to 2007, and lost their most recent game against England in Bloemfontein. They are due to play five more Tests in the 2025-2029 FTP cycle, including this season's two, away to Australia and England in 2028 and at home against West Indies in 2029.
South Africa women's training squad for red-ball cricket
Laura Wolvaardt, Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Alexandra Candler, Izel Cilliers, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Lara Goodall, Ayanda Hlubi, Nicolien Janse van Rensburg, Leah Jones, Yasmeen Khan, Masabata Klaas, Simoné Lourens, Suné Luus, Tebogo Macheke, Eliz-Mari Marx, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Nthabiseng Nini, Luyanda Nzuza, Kayla Reyneke, Nondumiso Shangase, Tumi Sekhukhune, Miané Smit, Faye Tunnicliffe, Caitlin Wyngaard