Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Maia Bouchier make their Test debuts, featuring in the one-off Test against South Africa.
Currently, England is on a multi-format tour to South Africa with the series commencing in November with three T20Is followed by three ODIs and will conclude with a one-off Test at Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein. The visitors clinched both the T20I and ODI series before heading into the one-off Test against Proteas.
The one-off Test between both sides is also the 150th women’s Test to be played and also the first in South Africa in 22 years. Ahead of the one-off test, England’s Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Maia Bouchier make their Test debuts in the one-off Test against Proteas.
Kent all-rounder Ryan MacDonald-Gay earlier made her international debut during England’s tour to Ireland in September 2024, making debuts in both ODI & T20I formats. She received her Test cap coming in for Kate Cross, who suffered an injury in the final ODI against Proteas.
Representing SouthEast Stars in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 50-over domestic competition, Ryana MacDonald-Gay was the tournament’s third-leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets and the leading wicket-taker for her side in the 2024 season. The 20-year-old scalped eight wickets in the 2024 season of the Charlotte Edwards Cup, the 20-over domestic competition. The year 2024 turned out to be exceptional; she marked her debut for her national side in all three formats.
On the other hand, Maia Bouchier, who represents Hampshire in domestic cricket has been one of the standout performers in the shorter formats of the game. In her list A career, she has aggregated over 2000 runs across 82 matches with 14 fifties and a century, while in the T20 format at the domestic circuit, she has scored over 3000 runs in the format. The top-order batter earlier used to represent Middlesex from 2014-2018 before she started representing Hampshire in 2019.
She made her T20I debut for the side in 2021 before making her ODI debut two years later in 2023. Known for her elegant strokeplay, Maia has enjoyed an impressive 2024 year for England so far, having amassed over 344 runs in the ODI format in ten matches which includes a fifty and her maiden ODI hundred averaging 38. While in the T20I format, the right-handed batter was England’s second leading run scorer in 2024, scoring over 500 runs in 19 matches, including three fifties and was also part of England’s squad in the 2024 World Cup.
Bouchier’s versatility at the top of the order makes her a valuable asset in England’s Test set-up as she makes her debut.
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