Photo Credit: Cricket South Africa
The South Africa (SA) Under 19 Men’s side has concluded the last preparation camp ahead of the CSA T20 Knock Out competition set to take place from 30 September to 10 October 2022.
SA U19 Men are placed in Pool A together with AET Tuskers, Eastern Storm, and Mpumalanga Rhinos. The youngsters will face up against Eastern Storm in the opening match of the competition on Friday, 30 September 2022.
Shukri Conrad’s young guns have concluded a five-day camp at the CSA’s High Performance Centre in Tshwane, which focused on fitness and skills training. The SA U19 side also played two warm matches against the Tuks Cricket team.
The well-balanced side will garner experience from players such as captain, George van Heerden, Aphiwe Mnyanda, Liam Alder, Kwena Maphaka, and Matthew Boast, who were part of the competition with last year’s team.
“The team is highly motivated and ready to take on the challenge of playing against professional teams, despite minor challenges in our preparations as school engagements are of outmost importance,” said Head Coach, Shukri Conrad,
“We played in the competition last year and that was an eye opener for the team. And to reiterate my sentiments from last year, we are not there just to add numbers, we want to compete well and win to aid in the development of these young men.
“We have some experienced members in the team as part of the development process in addition to the youngsters coming into the setup for the first time. All we want in this competition is for the boys to be ultra-competitive and remain true to themselves and our playing philosophy,” Conrad concluded.
Captain, George van Heerden, also shared on the excitement and the overall mood with the team.
“We have a nice combination of players, and everyone is very excited, with all the preparation we’ve gone through.
“You can expect us to be competitive. We’ve learnt a great deal from last year’s mistakes and taking the positives forward as this will allow us to take calculated risks.
“The opportunity to play against professional cricketers is an awesome opportunity to measure yourself. Some of us have experienced that but it will be more crucial that we all take it in as we play against some of the best in the country, concluded van Heerden.
SA U19 MEN’S SQUAD FOR T20KO:
George Van Heerden © (Boland), Liam Alder (Lions Cricket), Matthew Boast (Titans Cricket), Abdullah Bayoumy (Western Province), Schalk Engelbrecht (Titans Cricket), Thebe Gazedi (Lions Cricket), Ronan Hermann (Lions Cricket), Juan James (Western Province), Kwena Maphaka (Lions Cricket), Dewan Marais (Easterns), Aphiwe Mnyanda (Eastern Province), Meeka-eel Prince (Western Province), Richard Seletswane (Lions Cricket), David Teeger (Lions Cricket), Liyema Waqu (Western Province)
Management: Shukri Conrad (Head Coach), Blanche Conradie (Manager), Thabang Kumalo (Ass.Coach), Esther Bhengu (Physio), Kyle Southgate (Analyst), Curtly Diesel (Fitness Trainer), Kruger Van Wyk (Fielding Coach).
