- Proteas head coach Hilton Moreeng is happy with his new-look side as the Proteas travel to Dublin for three ODIs and three T20s against Ireland.
- Moreeng also hopes that some of his players, who played in this month's T20 leagues, can continue their form.
- South Africa will be without several stars for the Irish leg of their busy season and Moreeng believes this will be the perfect opportunity for the youngsters to put up their hands.
Proteas women head coach Hilton Moreeng hopes some of his players can continue the T20 form ahead of their limited-overs series tour to Ireland.
Several stars have been in action over the past few weeks, notably this month's FairBreak Invitational and the Women's T20 Challenge in Pune before re-joining and departing on Sunday to play in three ODIs and three T20Is from 3-17 June in Dublin.
Ayabonga Khaka took nine wickets for the Spirit side in the FairBreak Invitational in Dubai, while Proteas top-order batter Laura Wolvaardt scored 186 runs for the Barmy Army women.
Wolvaardt also ended as the second-highest run-scorer in the Women's IPL, scoring 133 runs with two half-centuries.
Incidentally, she scored an unbeaten 65 off 40 balls for Velocity in the IPL final as her team fell four runs short to Sune Luus' Supernovas.
"Some of the players have played T20s around the world, so it's just about making sure that we can bring it together. The most important thing for us in Ireland is that we can give the youngsters some opportunity and see where we are as a team," said Moreeng.
"It has been great progress, especially since we haven't played a lot of T20 cricket this year. We hope that they can build on it.
"It shows you where they are and that they can put up the right performances and it's been very positive. I'm very happy to see them contribute and we've been working and in contact with them to make when they're with the team, they can continue with that."
For the Irish leg, the Proteas will be without the experience of Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee, Sinalo Jafta and Masabata Klaas.
Regular captain Dane van Niekerk is still out with Luus taking over the captaincy armband once again and SA's most experienced female cricketer Mignon du Preez, was also not included after retiring from ODI cricket.
The Proteas handed Western Province all-rounder Delmi Tucker her first-ever call-up, with Anneke Bosch, Nadine de Klerk, Andrie Steyn and Raisibe Ntozakhe returning to the Proteas set-up.
Moreeng insists he is happy with the combination of the squad for Ireland and hopes the young players can put up their hands next month.
"There's a lot to play for and a lot of youngsters in the group and it's an opportunity for the players to put their right foot forward and give the selectors a good headache," said Moreeng.
"We're happy with the squad we have (for Ireland). You know, we always want the best playing on the field, but opportunities like this doesn't happen a lot.
"And these young players, we've been with the group for a while, have worked hard and this is an opportunity for them to show what they can do.
"Some of them are in positions where if they put up their hand, it helps us as a squad to move forward. They give us peace of mind that if something happens to certain players, they can compete for those positions."
Following the Ireland series, the Proteas women then begin an all-format tour against England from 27 June and 25 July.
Shortly after the English series, the Proteas will begin their Commonwealth Games campaign with an opening fixture against the White Ferns (New Zealand) on Saturday, 30 July.
"The Ireland tour is two-fold. The first half is the T20 series, which will prepare us for the Commonwealth Games and then the T20 World Cup," added Moreeng.
"We need to make sure we have the right combinations before next year's World Cup. And then the ODI series will be about getting points for the 2025 Cricket World Cup."
Proteas Tour to Ireland Itinerary:
T20 International Series
Friday, 03 June - 1st T20I - Ireland vs South Africa (Pembroke, Dublin)
Monday, 06 June - 2nd T20I - Ireland vs South Africa (Pembroke, Dublin)
Wednesday, 08 June - 3rd T20I - Ireland vs South Africa (Pembroke, Dublin)
All T20I matches will start at 17h30 SA time
One-Day International Series
Saturday, 11 June - Ireland vs South Africa (Clontarf, Dublin)
Tuesday, 14 June - Ireland vs South Africa (Clontarf, Dublin)
Friday, 17 June - Ireland vs South Africa (Clontarf¸ Dublin)
All ODI matches will start at 11h45 SA Time