There's no shortage of familiar faces in the Proteas line-up, with seven Rebel WBBL players making their way to the Caribbean
World T20 preview: South Africa
South Africa squad: Dané van Niekerk (c), Trisha Chetty, Moseline Daniels, Mignon du Preez, Yolani Fourie, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Masabata Klaas, Lizelle Lee, Suné Luus, Zintle Mali, Robyn Searle, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon, Laura Wolvaardt
Fixtures: 12 November v Sri Lanka, 14 November v West Indies, 16 November v England, 18 November v Bangladesh
Best result: Semi-final (2014)
ICC ranking: 6th
The talking point: South Africa have been boosted by the return of star quick Shabnim Ismail and the experienced Trisha Chetty, who missed their recent series against West Indies, but have been dealt a blow with fast bowler Ayabonga Khaka not sufficiently recovered from shoulder surgery, while Raisibe Ntozakhe's action has been found to be illegal, forcing the Proteas to replace her with Yolani Fourie.
The star: Whether she’s wielding bat or ball, captain Dane van Niekerk is rarely far from the action. The leg-spinning allrounder took an incredible 4-0 against West Indies during last year’s World Cup and if she can produce a similar performance this time around, it would go a long way to securing the sort of upset win the Proteas need to make it through to the play-offs. She’s been in good form with the bat of late also, scoring 45no, 53 and 77 during South Africa’s tour of the Caribbean in September.
The one to watch: Lizelle Lee brings a real potency to the South African top-order and her ability to score quickly will be crucial for the Proteas in St Lucia. Only van Niekerk has scored more T20I runs than Lee across the last 12 months and Lee, who plays for Melbourne Stars in the Rebel WBBL, showed a liking for Caribbean conditions during South Africa’s bilateral tour in September when she scored 54 and 42 against West Indies.
The verdict: South Africa are up against it with hosts and reigning champions West Indies and third-ranked England both in Group A. The Proteas made the semi-finals of last year’s 50-over World Cup but haven’t had quite the same success in the shortest format of the game, but they do have a squad packed full of T20 talent – including seven players who’ve appeared in the Rebel WBBL – and there’s no reason why they can’t cause some upsets at this tournament.
2018 ICC Women's World T20
Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham
November 9: Australia v Pakistan, Province Stadium, Guyana
November 11: Australia v Ireland, Province Stadium
November 13: Australia v New Zealand, Province Stadium
November 17: Australia v India, Province Stadium
November 22: Semi-finals, Sir Vivian Richards Ground, Antigua
November 24: Final, Sir Vivian Richards Ground