Brits to captain South Africa for World Cup qualifiers

Cri-zelda Brits will captain the South Africa women in Pakistan © Cricinfo Ltd.

Cri-zelda Brits has been named captain of a 14-member South Africa women's squad which will travel to Pakistan next month for the 2009 World Cup qualifiers. She keeps the captaincy ahead of Shandre Fritz, who is back in the squad for her first international match after injuring her neck in a swimming pool accident.

The two top-ranked teams from each pool of four will qualify for the World Cup, which will be held in Australia. South Africa are grouped in pool A, which also includes Bermuda, Netherlands and Papua New Guinea. The top-eight teams in the World Cup will in turn qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 to be held in England later that year, where the tournament will be held alongside the men's event.

Brits, 23, had first stood-in for the injured Fritz for this year's home one-day series against Pakistan, which South Africa won 4-0. She then captained the side to a 3-0 series whitewash in a Test series against the Netherlands.

The squad will gather at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria on November 13 and leave for Pakistan three days later.

South Africa squad
Cri-zelda Brits (capt), Johmari Logtenberg (vice-captain), Olivia Anderson, Susanna Benade, Trishna Chetty, Dinisha Devnerain, Mignon du Preez, Shandre Fritz, Ashlyn Kilowan, Matshipi Letsoalo, Sunette Loubser, Analie Minny, Claire Terblanche, Magdalena Terblanche.