Vipers announce dynamic overseas duo of Du Preez and Kerr

Women's Cricket

The Southern Vipers have announced the signings of international duo, Mignon du Preez and Amelia Kerr, ahead of the 2018 Kia Super League.

Both players have signed for the duration of this summer’s competition, joining a Suzie Bates’ side aiming to reach a third successive final and looking to regain the title they won in 2016.

Du Preez has represented South Africa in 185 limited-overs games since making her debut at the age of just 17 in 2007, and the right-hander has scored more than 4,100 runs in that time.

The top-order batter was awarded the captaincy of South Africa for all three-formats in 2011, where she led the side for 46 ODIs, 50 T20Is and one Test match, including their first Women’s World T20 Semi-Final.

The 28-year-old also became the first South African to score more than 1,000 career T20I runs in 2016, whilst she’s remained an important part of the national side since, helping her side reach the semi-finals of last year’s Women’s World Cup, contributing an impressive 76* against eventual champions, England.

Kerr, an exciting spin prospect from New Zealand, has burst onto the international scene in the last 18 months, with the 17-year-old impressing at both ODI and T20I level having made her debuts aged just 16.

The Wellington-born youngster has claimed 36 wickets at an average of just 20.27 in 25 matches for the White Ferns and featured for Suzie Bates’ side at last year’s World Cup. However, Kerr’s best performance was in only her second ODI, where she picked up four wickets against rivals Australia, a haul which included the wickets of international stars, Meg Lanning, Elyse Villani and Alyssa Healy.

Director of Women’s Cricket, Charlotte Edwards said: “We’re delighted to welcome back Mignon again this year – she was an integral part of our squad last year and made some important match-winning contributions throughout the season.

“In Amelia we have one of the brightest young talents in the game, and she’s already made a big impact on the international stage with her leg spin, taking 36 international wickets since her debut in 2017. We look forward to welcoming them both to the Southern Vipers for hopefully another successful KSL campaign.”

After the success of the first two KSL seasons, all six teams, including the Ageas Bowl-based Southern Vipers, will play each other home and away for the first time in 2018. Each team will play 10 matches rather than five in the battle to reach Finals Day, and the competition includes a total of 32 matches compared to last year’s 17, spanning 37 days from July 22 to August 27.

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