In an era where women’s cricket continues to grow, Proteas Women’s star Annerie Dercksen’s tale emerges as a beacon of ambition, reflection, and opportunity.
As the ICC Emerging Player of the Year prepares to take on India and Sri Lanka in the extreme heat and humidity of Colombo over the next few weeks, the 24-year-old has taken time off her busy schedule to chat exclusively to the INDY SPORT SHOW this week.
Dercksen goes into detail how she is adapting from the tranquillity of farm life back home in Beaufort West to living out of a suitcase from hotel to hotel as an international cricketer.
She also speaks about how she has embraced ‘life on tour’, with Dercksen not afraid to sample the local cuisine, even if the Indian curries may be on the spicy side for her some times.
The young allrounder is also not wanting to put too much pressure on herself in her second full season of international cricket and is willing to do anything for the team to get the Proteas over the line.
She has worked extensively on her technique with batting coach Baakier Abrahams to prepare for the unique sub-continent conditions.
Equally, she pays tribute to her hero and mentor Marizanne Kapp and wants to emulate her performances with Kapp absent from this Sri Lankan tour.
Dercksen is also hoping the experience gained over the last year, where she participated in a T20 Women’s World Cup final in Dubai, will also have benefited her when she comes up against Indian superstar Smriti Mandhana.
