Proteas star Lefebre Rademan recovers just in time for debut World Cup appearance

Despite her fears, the 26-year-old thought her long-cherished dream of participating in the global showpiece would not materialize due to an ACL injury suffered during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, last year.

However, against all odds, she is now poised to make her debut in the World Cup, donning the Proteas jersey from July 28 to August 6 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. She tells SABC Sport that she did not expect to make the World Cup squad.

"When I was injured last year at the Common Wealth Games, I definitely thought that I will not be ready for the World Cup but something changed inside of me. The support from my family and this is a dream and I wanted to give myself a chance. I'm just so grateful," she said.

Rademan made her debut for her country in a test match against Lesotho. She watched the Proteas on television when they finished fourth in the previous World Cup in Liverpool, United Kingdom, back in 2019.  She says her time to shine in the tournament has finally come. 

"To be part of the World Cup squad is a dream come true because this is my time now," she said.

In her debut World Cup appearance, Rademan is confident that she brings a wealth of contribution to the Proteas team. She prepared for all the possibilities and even purchased tickets for the World Cup in case she didn’t secure a spot in the final team.

"My fighting spirit and motivation and giving my everything until the end. I bought my tickets because whether I was in the team or not, I was gonna be there to support."