Andrie Steyn is looking forward to making her tournament debut at the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup which gets underway in England and Wales next month.

The 20-year-old opening batter announced her arrival on the international scene at the recently concluded Quadrangular Series which also involved Ireland, Zimbabwe and heavyweights India.

Steyn who worked extensively with Gary Kirsten Cricket Head Coach, Ryan Cook before the series scored a mammoth 226 runs at an average of 45.2 over the five games in Potchefstroom.

It was a groundbreaking series for the Durban born youngster who put together a sparkling 117 against Ireland for her maiden century.

In addition she also scored a brilliant 83 against a top Indian bowling attacking.

“The hundred was really special as it was my first. It was also a bit of a relief to finally get there,” Steyn said.

“I did feel though that my 83 was just as important. It was a challenging knock and one that I am proud of,” Steyn added.

According to Steyn who now lives in Bellville in the Western Cape her work with Cook prior to the series was invaluable.

“Ryan helped with my batting skills and mental side of the game. We worked on efficient training so your body reacts in the correct way,” Steyn explained.

She continued, “We also focused on batting for longer periods of time and that paid off.”Cook who is currently working as a fielding coach for the SA A team ahead of their tour to England was full of praise for Steyn.

“Working with Andrie has been very rewarding, she is a willing learner and her humble nature has helped grow and improve her game,” Cook said.

The runs came at the perfect time for Steyn who now shifts her focus to the World Cup.

“It is a dream come true for me,” she said.

“I think we have a great bunch of players. We just have to keep believing. We must back ourselves, we know we have a good chance of winning it,” Steyn concluded.

Image Credit Cricket South Africa

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A number of players prepared for the current campaign with Kirsten and GKC Head Coach Ryan Cook.

These players went through vigorous one-on-one sessions in our High Performance Programme in the pre-season.

Port Elizabeth born, Mike Richardson scored a brilliant 116 for Durham at Chester-Le-Street last weekend. While Dawid Malan also got a century against Cambridge.

Proteas wicketkeeper-batsman, Dane Vilas registered scores of 72 and 92 for Lancashire.

Meanwhile Chris Nash made a 103 for Sussex.

“It is fantastic to see these guys do well. They each had at least 10-15 one-on-one sessions with Gary and Ryan Cook in the summer before they left for England,” GKC Coaching Director, Ryan Van Niekerk said.

“They have stayed in touch with us and have given us positive feedback. They are keen to come back at the end of the season to continue working so that they can develop their game and take it to the next level,” Van Niekerk concluded.

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The three month long full-time programme which is headed by Gary Kirsten and his team of leading coaches once again attracted cricketers from around the world.

It is an unparalleled cricketing development experience which seeks to prepare first-class players for life on and off the field.

The final few weeks of the programme saw players work intensely on specific skills with a range of guest coaches.

Shukri Conrad who heads Cricket South Africa’s National Academy led a 50 over batting marathon.

While former Proteas spinner, Robin Peterson gave the guys a masterclass in slower bowling.

“The last couple of weeks have been really good and the intensity of the boys has been outstanding,” GKC Head Coach, Ryan Cook said.

“The guys have worked on refining their skills and we were delighted to see the massive improvements in their game when they took on the Western Province Academy in a few friendlies,” he added.

The group has also made big strides away from the cricket pitch.

There has been marked improvements in their physical tests which were administered by the Sports Science Institute of South Africa.

While GKC’s Performance Psychologist, Tom Dawson Squibb wrapped up his work on a positive mindset and understanding oneself.

“Tom has done a phenomenal job with the guys. He is made them aware of what goes on internally during the game and away from it,” Cook revealed.

“It has been a great programme and I think the guys have grown as cricketers and people tremendously,” he concluded.

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The duo who are proud products of Gary Kirsten Cricket made their debuts for the South Africa Under-19 team this month during a Youth ODI series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

It was just reward after they both excelled for Western Province Under-19 at last December’s Kaya Majola Coke Week.

Cohen took his first international wicket against neighbors Zimbabwe and finished with figures of 1-37 in Paarl.

“Michael has grown from strength to strength and is a real talent,” said GKC Coaching Director, Ryan Van Niekerk who has mentored him over the past two years.

“He understands he has lots to work on, but for now the reward of a fantastic summer has been the selection into the South African Under-19 team. I will continue to work with Mike and help him where possible. He is a keen learner and understands the road is long but there are a lot of exciting things happening,” Van Niekerk added.

Christensen meanwhile showed exactly why he one of the country’s brightest young talents.

He scored a magnificent 101 against Sri Lanka in Cape Town.

“It’s great to see all his hard work pay off. He is a big talent to look out for and we are very proud of him,” Ryan Cook said.

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Kirsten was especially pleased to see the likes of Quinton De Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Temba Bavuma and Kyle Abbott rise to the occasion Down Under.

“It is very exciting to see what the team has been able to achieve. I think the junior players have shown that they are worthy of their place in the side. They have adapted quickly and contributed to the team well,” Kirsten said.

Kirsten believes the team is in a good place and that the quality in squad depth is encouraging.

“With Dale Steyn and AB De Villiers out through injury this team showed they can step up. There is real competition and guys are showing they are willing to fight for their place,” Kirsten said.

“They put the Australians under a lot of pressure. Sometimes teams play in such a way that they do not allow the opposition to execute their game plan,” he added.

De Villiers’ unavailability due to an elbow injury would have been a real concern for the selectors before the tour got underway but they found an able skipper in Faf Du Plessis.

“Faf has done a great job. He has shown that he is a capable leader and that he can step in and do the job,” Kirsten said.

The contest now moves to Adelaide with the Proteas eager to claim a series whitewash of the old enemy.

The game which gets underway on 24 November is a day/night test, a first time experience for the Proteas.

“Australia will say to themselves that they need to get going and can’t keep losing games. I think they have some challenges with inexperience. The Proteas meanwhile will be angling to close up the series, that will be something special, Kirsten concluded.

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