Luus named skipper, Van Niekerk misses out as Proteas women name squad for tri-series

Sune Luus will captain the Proteas women ahead of this month's T20I Tri-series against India and West Indies.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Tuesday announced a 17-player squad that will take part in the Tri-series, set to take place from 19 January to 2 February in East London.

The Proteas women will be using the Tri-series as preparation before they host next month's ICC Women's T20 World Cup, which gets under way from 10 February.

The upcoming matches will see the welcomed return of several Women’s Big Bash League players, namely Chloe Tryon, Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, as well as Laura Wolvaardt, who lifted the trophy with her Adelaide Strikers side.

The Proteas women have included two uncapped players, with promising Garden Route Badgers all-rounder Annerie Dercksen chosen alongside Titans and SA Emerging ‘keeper Tebogo Macheke.

"As we go into our final preparation for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, I believe that the tri-series is a great opportunity for us to close out the squad. We are quite excited and looking forward to the tri-series and the players that have been included in the squad," said Proteas women convenor of selectors Clinton du Preez.

"It's (also) a great opportunity for everybody to really come out and stake a claim for the World Cup.  

"The uncapped players included have been part of the recent camps and have grown immensely. Annerie as an all-rounder will bring much depth to the squad and versatility within the team. Tebogo has been working hard and will add an additional option as a wicketkeeper and it's great for them to be a part of it. 

"They've shown a lot of improvement and I am looking forward to their involvement and how we can maximise the opportunity of them being in the squad. It's a