The Free State Cricket Union are delighted with the signing of the former Proteas captain and batter Mignon van der Merwe (née Du Preez).

The player, who recently got married, will play for the Free State women’s team this season as they compete in Division 1.

Van der Merwe brings a wealth of experience to the Free State and she will also serve as mentor to the younger players.

She scored 3760 runs for South Africa in One-Day International cricket, while she also scored 1805 runs in T20 International cricket.

The CEO of Free State cricket, Johan van Heerden, told OFM Sport that excited to have her on board.

“It's absolutely a wonder story to have a legend like Mignon joining Free State Cricket,” said Van Heerden.

“She's world renowned and she brings an unbelievable wealth of cricket knowledge to the younger players, and even the older players. It gives a totally different edged having her around.

“It's maybe a new start for her to score even more runs and bring more value to the game than what we had previously.

“We're over the moon. We've just announced our squad and we're looking forward to a wonderful season.”

The coach, PJ Hansen, in his turn told OFM Sport getting Van der Merwe in adds a lot of valuable, not to his team, but also for the younger players in the setup.

“The signing of Mignon adds a lot of value to our team and she's going to contribute a lot on and off the field, said Jansen.

“That's just the kind of person she is - she likes to be involved and to speak and help players. That is also one of the reasons that we got her in - she going to be a mentor for our youth teams and younger players. It's just to give them an extra bit of a boost.”

Van der Merwe will make her debut for the Free State on Saturday against the Lions in Johannesburg in the One-Day Cup.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport