Lara Goodall gets national contract‚ Klaasen benefits from Faf's retirement

On the back of her career-best half century as she steered the Momentum Proteas to their highest successful ODI chase to win by seven wickets and take an unassailable 3-1 lead against India‚ Lara Goodall has been rewarded with a national team contract while Heinrich Klaasen has benefited from Faf du Plessis's retirement.

The 24-year-old Johannesburg-born middle order batter smashed 59 runs off 66 balls that included five boundaries on Sunday as the Proteas women beat their Indian counterparts with eight balls to spare in Lucknow to help the team surge into an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

Goodall came back into the national team fold only in January during the home ODI series against Pakistan after more than a year out with terrible loss of form. She was dropped after SA's last tour of India in 2019.

It looked all doom and gloom for the right hander with her average plummeting to 15.14 and the only logical decision was to drop her‚ but coach Kgosimang Moreeng and his selection team stuck with her and gave her another chance‚ which she grabbed with both hands.

She has since realigned her game and technique as she dug in her heels in the nets during the hard lockdown in a bid to improve her game.

Goodall looked good during the series against Pakistan in January and continued on that path in India‚ ensuring that she became the 15th player to be awarded a women’s team national contract.

“It is a matter of great pride that CSA has increased the number of women’s contracts from 14 to 15 for the first time‚” said CSA acting CEO Pholetsi Moseki.

CSA said the upgrade system will again be in place this year‚ which means those players selected for the Proteas during the 2021/22 season who are not contracted can qualify for a performance-based national contract upgrade.

In the Proteas men’s side‚ Heinrich Klaasen of the Titans benefited from the retirement of Du Plessis as he received his maiden men’s team contract in place of the former captain.

Du Plessis has announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect and said he intends to make T20s his priority.

While the women’s contracts have been increased from 14 to 15‚ CSA decided to remain with the 16 men’s contracts. CSA said it decided to keep the 17th spot open to give players the opportunity to qualify for it through performance.

There have been exceptional performances in the tail end of the CSA domestic season and that 17th spot is sure to be hotly contested.

“On behalf of CSA‚ I would like to congratulate Lara Goodall and Heinrich Klaasen on their newly awarded contracts‚” said acting CEO Moseki.

There are two ICC T20 World Cups in India in October and November. Later the 2022 edition will follow suit in Australia to go with a historic full limited-over tour to Ireland in July this year.

The major upcoming engagement for the women’s team is the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand in March and April.

CSA-contracted Momentum Proteas women’s players:

Dané van Niekerk (captain‚ Eastern Province)‚ Trisha Chetty (KZN Coastal)‚ Nadine de Klerk (Western Province)‚ Mignon du Preez (Northerns)‚ Lara Goodall (Western Province)‚ Shabnim Ismail (KZN Coastal)‚ Sinalo Jafta (Western Province)‚ Marizanne Kapp (Eastern Province)‚ Ayabong Khaka (Gauteng)‚ Masabata Klaas (North West)‚ Lizelle Lee (North West)‚ Suné Luus (Northerns)‚ Tumi Sekhukhune (North West)‚ Chloe Tryon (KZN Coastal)‚ Laura Wolvaardt (Western Province).

CSA-contracted Proteas men’s players:

Temba Bavuma (white ball captain‚ Imperial Lions)‚ Quinton de Kock (Momentum Multiply Titans)‚ Dean Elgar (red ball captain‚ Momentum Multiply Titans)‚ Beuran Hendricks (Imperial Lions)‚ Reeza Hendricks (Imperial Lions)‚ Heinrich Klaasen (Momentum Multiply Titans)‚ Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins)‚ Aiden Markram (Momentum Multiply Titans)‚ David Miller (Hollywoodbets Dolphins)‚ Lungi Ngidi (Momentum Multiply Titans)‚ Anrich Nortjé (Warriors)‚ Andile Phehlukwayo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins)‚ Dwaine Pretorius (Imperial Lions)‚ Kagiso Rabada (Imperial Lions)‚ Tabraiz Shamsi (Momentum Multiply Titans)‚ Rassie van der Dussen (Imperial Lions).