Cricket South Africa has named its Women’s Emerging Academy intake for 2026, with recently capped Proteas Women all-rounders Miané Smit and Leah Jones, alongside leg-spinner Seshnie Naidu, headlining the selection unveiled at CSA Head Office in Johannesburg on Thursday, 30 April 2026.
The intake features a mix of SA U19 graduates, in-form provincial players and emerging talent.
Smit represents Fidelity Titans, Jones is contracted to WSB Western Province, and Naidu plays her provincial cricket at Hollywoodbets Dolphins, with the three Proteas-experienced players leading a 16-strong group selected for the programme.
Former Proteas Women’s batting coach Baakier Abrahams will take interim charge of the women’s group, allowing Academy head coach Dinesha Devnarain to focus on preparation for the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup 2027 taking place in January next year.
The Academy continues to play a key role in accelerating the growth of high-potential players, bridging the gap between provincial cricket and the demands of the international game. It has also laid the foundation for a number of current Proteas Women, including Nonkululeko Mlaba and Kayla Reyneke, to name a few.
Head of High Performance Grant van Velden said: “We’ve selected an exciting group of young players, and I am looking forward to seeing them come in and hit the ground running when the group assembles next month.”
Van Velden said the programme would focus on preparing players for upcoming representative tours and would challenge them both physically and mentally, pushing them out of their comfort zones so they can grow on and off the field.
“The aim is for each player to leave the Academy not only as a better cricketer, but as a more complete professional athlete,” he added.
The Women’s Emerging Academy selection comes ahead of an inbound Bangladesh Emerging Women tour to South Africa, with a three-match One Day series and three-match T20 series scheduled for July and August 2026 across Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
CSA Women’s Emerging Academy 2026
Jemma Botha (WSB Western Province)
Fay Cowling (DP World Lions)
Jenna Evans (DP World Lions)
Jae-Leigh Filander (WSB Western Province)
Leah Jones (WSB Western Province)
Yasmeen Khan (Hollywoodbets Dolphins)
Simone Lourens (Fidelity Titans)
Mpumelelo Mashiloane (Eastern Storm)
Relebohile Mkhize (DP World Lions)
Seshnie Naidu (Hollywoodbets Dolphins)
Nthabiseng Nini (North West Dragons)
Luyanda Nzuza (Fidelity Titans)
Diara Ramlakan (DP World Lions)
Oluhle Siyo (WSB Western Province)
Miané Smit (Fidelity Titans)
Caitlin Wyngaard (WSB Western Province)
Fixtures List for the South Africa Emerging Women vs Bangladesh Emerging Women Inbound One Day and T20 Series
Wed 29 Jul, 09h30: 1st One Day (Chatsworth Oval, Durban)
Fri 31 Jul, 09h30: 2nd One Day (Chatsworth Oval, Durban)
Mon 3 Aug, 09h30: 3rd One Day (Pietermaritzburg Oval, Pietermaritzburg)
Thu 6 Aug, 13h00: 1st T20 (Pietermaritzburg Oval, Pietermaritzburg)
Sun 9 Aug, 13h00: 2nd T20 (Chatsworth Oval, Durban)
Tue 11 Aug, 13h00: 3rdT20 (Chatsworth Oval, Durban)
Original Copy: Cricket SA Media, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: Miané Smit raises her bat in this file photo on the occasion of her debut half-century for South Africa at Cave Hill against West Indies Women, on 23 June, 2025. Cricket SA has named Smit among 16 players for its 2026 Women’s Emerging Academy intake, with One Day and T20 fixtures against Bangladesh Emerging Women in KwaZulu-Natal this July and August. File Photo: Randy Brooks / Brooks LaTouche
Photo 2 Caption: Nthabiseng Nini memorably took a first-ball wicket to help SA beat Australia at the ICC U19 T20 World Cup in Malaysia last year. File Photo: Cricket SA
