Sport

Matric pupil Seshnie Naidu has spun her way to the T20 World Cup

Seshnie Naidu of Team South Africa in action at the women’s cricket final at the Achimoto Cricket Oval at the 13th African Games on 13 March 2024 in Accra, Ghana. (Photo Roger Sedres / Gallo Images)

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

9 Sep 2024

After playing at the under-19 T20 World Cup last year, Seshnie Naidu has now made the senior T20 World Cup squad.

The Proteas women announced their squad for next month’s T20 World Cup with a few surprise omissions and one wild-card selection.

Matric pupil Seshnie Naidu will be on the plane to the United Arab Emirates at the beginning of October — after a three-match T20I tour to Pakistan.

Naidu is uncapped at international level, and in fact, has never been in a Proteas squad before.

“Seshnie excites us,” Proteas women’s convener of selectors Clinton du Preez said this week. “She’s been part of our camps.

“We’ve been holding her back and trying to fit her into our squad.

“We looked at the conditions and looked at the x-factor that she can bring as something different to the current spinners…

“We needed to find players to complement the unknown of the UAE to understand what she can bring for us.

Seshnie Naidu T20 World Cup Seshnie Naidu of Team South Africa in action at the women’s cricket final at the Achimoto Cricket Oval at the 13th African Games on 13 March 2024 in Accra, Ghana. (Photo Roger Sedres / Gallo Images)

“With her skill and the pace she bowls, in consultation with the spin lead, she was the option that we’re looking at to complement our bowling attack.”

The T20 World Cup presents a big opportunity for the Proteas women to become the first South African team to win a World Cup, in any format.

This is after they became the first senior side to make a World Cup final, when they lost by 19 runs to Australia at Newlands last February in the T20 World Cup.

Just a few weeks before the senior women’s team’s historic achievement, the junior team was participating in the first under-19 women’s T20 World Cup.

Naidu claimed five wickets in the tournament and went at a terrific economy rate of only 6.58.

Despite losing only one match out of five in the group and Super Six stages, they failed to reach the knockout stage by virtue of having an inferior net run rate compared with Australia and eventual champions India.

Nonetheless, the talent within the team was evident. Naidu’s under-19 teammates, wicketkeeper Karabo Meso and fast bowler Ayanda Hlubi have since made their senior debuts. The latter, along with Naidu, is also part of next month’s squad.

A dream

For the 18-year-old leg spinner, being part of the 15-player squad is “a dream come true”.

“I was really excited when I found out,” Naidu told Daily Maverick. “It was a dream come true for me.

“My dad and mom were very excited for me. When we found out, not a lot of people knew so we kept it to ourselves and we just couldn’t wait until it got released so everyone could know.”

Despite generally batting down the order, Naidu’s favourite player is skipper Laura Wolvaardt as well as holding great admiration for Suné Luus — who was the leader when the team made the final of the T20 World Cup.

“I get so excited every time I spend time with them knowing that they’re my teammates now and I always used to watch them on TV,” Naidu said.

Naidu is a Durban native and has been playing for the Dolphins since she was 13. In that time she has had guidance from the country’s leading spinner, Nonkululeko Mlaba. According to Naidu, Mlaba – who’s the highest-ranked Proteas women’s bowler – has taken her under her wing.

“She’s a very open person and she’s easy to talk to about the game and what I’m struggling with and she always has ways to help,” Naidu said about Mlaba

Emulating the best

Like Luus, Naidu also bowls leg spin. Luus’ bowling has taken a big step back in recent times, as she’s focused on her batting. Dané van Niekerk, who also bowled leg spin, has not been in the international picture for the past two years.

Because of the sudden dearth of leg break options, management eyed Naidu to take up the vacant mantle with first-choice spinner Mlaba offering the left-arm orthodox option.

“Seshnie has been on the radar for about a year now,” Paul Adams, who is the spin lead for both senior national teams, said to Daily Maverick. “She’s been playing senior cricket and taking wickets.

Unlike most South African spinners who give the ball lots of air, Naidu prefers to dart the ball in quickly.

“She does possess something different in terms of what she brings to the table,” Adams said.

“Spin plays a big role in the women’s game with her pace and being a wrist spinner.”

The goal for Adams is to have Naidu emulate the formula of the world-leading spin bowler, England’s Sophie Ecclestone.

“The best spinner in the world is Sophie Ecclestone at the moment and she bowls at a real good pace and she doesn’t leave the stumps,” Adams said. “She’s accurate.

“That’s where we’re trying to get with Seshnie and how she improves with years to come on her accuracy and also that she keeps the energy that she bowls with.”

South Africa have several slow bowling options in their World Cup squad including Mlaba and Chloé Tryon who both turn the ball away from the right-handed batter — like Naidu. But the teenager is assured that if she were to get a run, she wouldn’t be overawed by the occasion.

“This is a different stage altogether compared to the under-19 tournament,” she said. “It’s a lot bigger, there’s going to be a bigger crowd, more pressure but I’m looking forward to it because I enjoy the pressure. Normally I thrive on it.”

“I’m hoping to showcase my talent and what I have worked on over the years.” DM

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A dream

Emulating the best