Chawane made her Commonwealth Games debut in 2018 before helping South Africa secure a fourth-place finish at the 2022 edition. She now takes on the captaincy as the Proteas prepare for this year’s tournament in Glasgow.

The 30-year-old has also welcomed the return of veteran Free State Crinums defender Karla Pretorius, saying her experience and leadership will make the captaincy role much easier.

"It was very different and difficult to step into the captaincy role after just being a player, but I think I've got a hang of it. I love working with the girls, they are very easy to work with. Taking up the responsibility is much better now, now that I've been involved in a few test series."

READ: Athletics SA legend declares Team SA ready for Commonwealth Games

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow from 23 July to 2 August. Chawane says she is satisfied with the team’s preparations and believes the team is ready to build on the recent positive momentum.

"To have played against African teams as many times as we have, and after testing ourselves against the best of the world, all of those experiences led us to that series win over England earlier this year, but we can't become complacent and we have to keep up that momentum."

Chawane says the squad has bonded well during a productive week-long training camp ahead of their departure for the United Kingdom and is looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead.

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