Cricket fraternity shocked as 25-year-old former South African all-rounder passes away

Former South Africa all-rounder Elriesa Theunissen-Fourie passed away, aged 25. Theunissen-Fourie died in a road accident in Stilfontein, North West, on Friday. The life of her child was also lost in the unfortunate incident. "This is a dreadful tragedy in the true sense of that word. This is devastating news for all of us. Elriesa did so much for the community in which she lived and gave excellent service both as a national player of note and in the work she did at the grassroots level to help in the less fortunate communities," Cricket South Africa chief executive Thabang Moroe said in a statement.

"On behalf of the CSA family, I extend our deepest sympathy to her husband, Rudy, her family, friends, and all her cricketing colleagues," the statement added. The all-rounder had played three one-day internationals and one T20 international. Theunissen-Fourie's last ODI for South Africa was against Bangladesh in September 2013.

She, who played for North West Dragons in domestic cricket, was also a part of the South African squad in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2013 in India. Theunissen-Fourie had coached at the local community hub until she opted for a maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child. 

(With inputs from agencies.)