Alicia Smith

Like many of the South Africa internationals, Alicia Smith grew up playing street cricket with boys when just eight-years-old. In 1999, she participated in the senior school league and went on to play for Boland in an inter-provincial tournamet that year.

She is an allrounder who has performed better with the ball at international level, progressing to the stage where she opened the bowling against the Netherlands in 2007, a welcome return after missing the series against Pakistan earlier that year. She hopes her batting will come good and she once struck 171 from 93 balls in a club match. She was South Africa's Woman Cricketer of the Year in 2005 and represented Africa in the Afro-Asia Twenty20 match in 2007.

Smith starred in the final of the World Cup Qualifiers, taking five wickets for seven runs as South Africa beat Pakistan by eight wickets. Both sides qualified for the World Cup to be played in Australia in 2009

Cricinfo Staff February 2008