First women's Test in South Africa in 22 years to be played without DRS
Dec 15, 2024
New Delhi [India], December 15 : The one-off Test between South Africa and England's women's team will be played in the absence of DRS in Bloemfontein.
The first women's Test in South Africa in 22 years, beginning on Sunday, is the only match out of the 21 internationals played by both men and women in South Africa this year without DRS.
Cricket South Africa shed light on the reason behind the one-off Test being played without a DRS and stated that women's white-ball international matches are their focus as of now.
"The inclusion of the DRS for the ongoing inbound tour against England was agreed upon at the planning stage of the tour, noting that it will be the first time it was used for women's bilateral tours in South Africa in recent history," Enoch Nkwe, South Africa's director of national teams and high performance, said in response to a query about the absence of DRS for the Test as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"The white-ball formats were prioritised with regards to DRS for this tour as it directly impacted the Proteas Women's rankings in T20I cricket and the Women's Championship as well as the overall CSA strategy for the senior women's national team. While the development of the red-ball format is important, it is worth noting that resources are currently being directed at the white-ball formats due to the significance of ODI and T20I cricket in the current women's international cricket landscape," Nkwe added.
In the white-ball format, the South African women's team have been a dominant force, especially in the ODIs. They have already qualified for the ODI World Cup, but finishing on a strong note in the table remains a goal for them.
DRS has become a common norm in the world of cricket. However, there are still matches played without it.
Earlier this year in the men's ODI World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe, DRS was only available from the Super Six stage. Even in the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup Qualifiers in the UAE, there was no DRS available.
