The South African Under-19 Women’s national side will have a familiar domestic presence in its coaching ranks when they travel to West Africa this month. Yolandi van der Westhuizen has been appointed assistant coach of the SA U/19 Women’s team ahead of their participation in the Nigeria Cricket Federation Women’s T20I Invitational Tournament.

Van der Westhuizen currently serves as assistant coach of the Garden Route Badgers Women and will now step into a national pathway role as the young South African side continues building toward the next global cycle.

The SA U/19 Women will travel to Lagos for the tournament, scheduled from 18–29 March 2026, where they will face regional opposition including Ghana, Sierra Leone, hosts Nigeria and Rwanda. For South Africa’s emerging players, the invitational tournament forms an important part of the programme leading into the next edition of the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which will be hosted in Bangladesh and Nepal in January 2027.

The Garden Route Badgers will also be represented on the field, with rising player Jeze Campher included in the touring squad.
For followers of South Africa’s women’s cricket pipeline, Van der Westhuizen’s appointment may signal another link between the domestic provincial system and the national youth structure, a pathway increasingly central to preparing the next generation of Proteas talent.