IRE-W vs SA-W | 3RD T20I | Match Preview | SPOTLIGHT: Sune Luus

A leg-spinner with decent batting prowess turns out to be one of the mainstays of the batting line-up. Sounds familiar?

No, we are not talking about Steve Smith. Instead, the spotlight is on Sune Luus, the South African captain.

Luus stormed into the national setup as a skilled leg-spinner who could double up as a reliable lower-order batter. Alongside Laura Wolvaardt, she has become the backbone of the South Africa batting line-up. 

The all-rounder made her debut at the very young age of sixteen against Bangladesh in 2012.

The world noticed the young gun’s talent in 2016 when she became only the second woman cricketer to claim a five-wicket haul and score a half-century in the same ODI match (against Ireland).

In 2016 she also picked up 37 wickets, equalling Trinidadian right arm off-spinner Anisa Mohammed’s 'Most wickets in a calendar year' record.

In 2017, she bagged the title of South African Cricketer of the Year for her brilliant performances with the bat as well as the ball.

In the absence of skipper Dan van Niekerk, Luus led the Proteas in the Women’s World Cup 2022. Under her leadership, they reached the semi-finals after displaying an indomitable spirit throughout the tournament.

Catch her in action as she captains her side against Ireland women in the 3rd T20I. The match will be played at Pembroke Cricket Club in Dublin on 8th June. The three-match series tied at 1-1 will be a thrilling decider on Wednesday.  

SQUADS

South Africa: Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Trisha Chetty, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus (c), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Tumi Sekhukhune, Andrie Steyn, Chloe Tryon, Delmi Tucker, Laura Wolvaardt

Ireland: Gaby Lewis (c), Alana Dalzell, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Sarah Forbes, Shauna Kavanagh, Arlene Kelly, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Kate McEvoy, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Celeste Raack, Mary Waldron