Category: Cricket News

Following a successful 2-1 T20i series victory over the West Indies, the latest Proteas SACA MVP rankings showcase a significant shift in the Proteas’ statistical leaderboard. As the national side carries this winning momentum into their next international assignment, the updated SACA MVP standings highlight the standout individual performances.

The series served as a masterclass in impactful performance, captured by the SACA MVP algorithm—the only ranking system of its kind in South Africa that provides an objective representation of player value by measuring every ball based on context and impact.

• The Undisputed Leader: Corbin Bosch has significantly extended his lead at the summit of the rankings on 342.341 MVP points. Bosch continues to demonstrate his value as a premier all-rounder, combining elite wicket-taking ability with crucial lower-order runs.
• Consistency at the Top: Dewald Brevis remains a powerhouse in the T20i standings, currently holding 205.032 MVP points. His ability to maintain a high level of performance across 20 matches has solidified his place as one of the season’s most impactful contributors.
• T20 MVP Challenger: Quinton de Kock has made a massive leap in the rankings after being named Player of the Series. De Kock’s sensational 143 runs in the series, including a 115 off 49 balls in Centurion, earned him one of the highest single-series point gains of the summer and put him in a prime position as a top T20 contender.

The SACA MVP rankings will track every ball in the upcoming fixtures, providing followers with a data-driven look at which players are rising to the occasion on the world stage. As the men’s top order looks to build on their West Indies success, the rankings remain the definitive guide to South Africa’s most impactful cricketers.

SACA’s MVP system remains unique in South Africa for its ability to look past traditional averages. By utilising an algorithm in partnership with CricViz, it rewards cricketers for their total contribution to the game, factoring in bowling economy, strike rates, fielding excellence, and leadership.

“The series against the West Indies was the perfect preparation for what the T20i World Cup said Andrew Breetzke, SACA CEO. “To see Bosch break the 340-point barrier and Brevis maintain his impressive tally is exactly what cricket enthusiasts wanted to see.”

To follow the live rankings and see the full tables, visit the SACA website: www.saca.org.za

SACA would like to congratulate the five domestic cricketers, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Matthew Breetzke, and Nondumiso Shangase, who have reached a significant career milestone by successfully meeting the points threshold required for an upgrade to national contracted cricketer status. This achievement sees them join the ranks of contracted Proteas players, granting them the full benefits associated with a national contract until the end of the season.

The upgrade system rewards players for sustained performance and participation on the international stage. Domestic cricketers accumulate points by participating in international matches, and upon reaching a specific threshold, their contracts are upgraded in the month following the date they reach the required total. The threshold for men is 18 points, and for women is 12 points.

By crossing the respective threshold, Nondumiso Shangase becomes the first woman cricketer this season to be upgraded, joining her male counterparts in being elevated to fully contracted status for the remainder of the season.

The upgrade process ensures the continuous flow of talent from the domestic structures into the national setup, benefiting both the Proteas and the provincial cricket system. The national contract upgrade system offers a clear and aspirational line of sight for a domestic cricketer.

“I want to extend my sincere congratulations to Corbin, Dewald, Lhuan-dre, Matthew, and Nondumiso on achieving the national contract upgrade. The value of the system lies in creating an opportunity to earn a national contract even if a player is not part of the original centrally contracted list announced at the start of the season. We wish them all the very best as they continue on this upward trajectory and look forward to seeing the positive impact they will have on South African cricket.”

This stunning limited-edition painting by acclaimed artist Richie Ryall masterfully captures a pivotal moment in cricket history: the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 at Lord’s. Featuring the iconic grounds and key players from both competing teams, this piece offers a unique and detailed artistic rendition of the event. Now available to the public, it’s a rare opportunity to own a tangible piece of cricketing legacy, commemorating the pinnacle of Test cricket through the eyes of a renowned painter.

Secure your piece of cricket history: Own a limited-edition Richie Ryall painting of the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025. Complete the order form to order yours

https://form.jotform.com/SACAPlayers/icc-test-championship-painting

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) recognizes Leah Jones, Nicolien Janse van Rensburg, and Kayla Reyneke as the inaugural recipients of the Women’s SACA MVP awards. Their consistent performances have marked a significant achievement in the women’s domestic cricket season.

Leah Jones: Overall SACA MVP
Leah Jones of Western Province has emerged as the overall SACA MVP, showcasing her all-round ability and astute captaincy. Her leadership has been instrumental, complemented by regular wicket-taking throughout the season.

Jones, a right-arm medium pacer, excelled in the T20 format, finishing third in the rankings. She claimed 14 wickets in 9 innings in the Pro20 Series and 14 wickets in 10 matches in the 50-over format, demonstrating her consistency and impact.

Jones finished the overall rankings on 230,10 MVP points, narrowly edging out Dolphins’ Alexander Candler (227,380 MVP points) and Titans all-rounder, Suné Luus (225,502 MVP points).

Nicolien Janse Van Rensburg: Limited Overs Dominance
In the Limited Overs format, Nicolien Janse Van Rensburg of the Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers secured the SACA MVP title. Her stellar bowling performance against the Knights, where she claimed five wickets, was the catalyst that propelled her to the top of the rankings and placed her among only nine players to achieve this feat this season.

Van Rensburg’s contributions with both bat and ball throughout the campaign solidified her position as a key player. Janse van Rensburg finished top of the rankings on 143,757 MVP Points, closely followed by Dolphins Alexander Candler on 143,732 MVP Points and Suné Luus on 132,449 MVP Points.

Kayla Reyneke: T20 Triumph
Western Province’s Kayla Reyneke topped the T20 rankings with 145,545 MVP points. Reyneke finished the Pro20 Series as the leading wicket-taker, claiming 14 wickets in 7 matches at an impressive average of 8.64. Titans’ Elize-Mari Marx finished second with 119,800 MVP points, followed by Leah Jones in third with 118,044 MVP points.

These outstanding performances highlight the depth of talent and competitive spirit in South African women’s domestic cricket, with Jones, Van Rensburg, and Reyneke leading the way.
Domestic Women SACA MVP Rankings as of 24 March 2025:

In January 2023, the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) was invited to participate as a partner in the European Commission-co-funded “HERFORM” project.

The project is led by Rugby Players Ireland (project proposal co-created by TWIN). SACA, through National Player Development Manager Ruan Schlebusch, along with the Sports University of Cologne, is the research lead. Other project partners are the Spanish Futsal Association and the National Youth Association of Sweden.

The HERFORM project, a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to the personal development of female athletes transitioning into high-performance sports environments, is currently in its fourth phase. This ambitious three-year project aims to address the unique challenges and needs of female athletes as they embark on their journey towards athletic excellence.

The project recognises that high-performance sport is not solely about physical prowess. Fostering the mental, emotional, and social well-being of athletes is equally important. By focusing on personal development, HERFORM seeks to empower female athletes to reach their full potential.

The research and interview phases of the HERFORM project have highlighted several gaps, both within and outside of the direct control of athletes. The underrepresentation of female coaching and management roles within professional sports and the tendency to replicate programmes designed for male athletes without considering the specific physiological and psychological needs of female athletes are some of the common systemic and organisational challenges that have a direct impact on female athletes. As a generalisation, female athletes transitioning into high-performance spaces are under-supported and under-equipped.

In an aim to bridge these gaps, HERFORM is developing a digital training hub. This innovative platform will provide female athletes with the tools and resources they need to navigate the complexities of professional sports, empowering athletes to take control of their own development.

As a contributing partner to the HERFORM project, SACA is committed to utilising the insights gained from the project to improve its programmes for female members. By providing early access to the digital hub in 2025, SACA aims to equip its members with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in their careers.

The SACA MVP rankings will be reset back to zero on the weekend as the 2023/2024 domestic cricket season kicks off with a doubleheader round of fixtures in the CSA 1-Day Cup competition.

First introduced in 2013, the SACA MVP formula is entering its 14^th edition as South African crickets’ first and most followed statistical ranking system.

The MVP algorithm tracks and measures players and awards points for top performances in each discipline to identify the match winners in any given fixture to determine the Most Valuable Player at the end of the season.

The MVP weighs important contributions such as scoring a high portion of the team’s total runs, claiming top-order wickets, and taking catches. Each individual player’s total points are aggregated at the end of the season, four MVPs will be named for the 2023/24 season, one for each Division 1 domestic competition.

Warriors’ all-rounder Beyers Swanepoel is the current holder of the Overall SACA MVP title after he defeated the competition to win 14,93 points clear of the nearest challenger, 2017/18 winner, Jon Jon Smuts.

“We would like to players all the best for the 2023/24 cricket season.  This is the first full season post covid, with no more bubbles. In previous years, the MVP top ten has been a great indicator of who is next in the Proteas pipeline and with an ICC event each year, and a full schedule for the national and SA A teams, this season is an opportunity to stand up and be counted” said SACA President, Khaya Zondo.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the nominees for the ICC Player of the Month Awards for the month of March to recognise the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket.

The ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nominees for March: Rashid Khan (AFG), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (IND), Sean Williams (ZIM) ICC Women’s Player of the Month Nominees for March: Rajeshwari Gayakwad (IND), Lizelle Lee (SA), Punam Raut (IND)

Fans can now vote on www.icc-cricket.com/awards for their favourite ICC Player of the Month (March).

In women’s cricket, Rajeshwari Gayakwad of India played five ODIs against South Africa and has been their leading wicket-taker in both the white ball series with South Africa. She took 8 wickets with an economy rate of 3.56 in the ODIs and in the three T20Is against the same opponent she took 4 wickets with an economy rate of 4.75.

From the South African camp, Lizelle Lee played four ODIs against India where she scored a century and two half-centuries to move to the top of the MRY Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Punam Raut of India played five ODIs against South Africa where she scored a total of 263 runs at 87.66 with a strike rate of 71.66. Punam has been India’s top run-scorer in the ODI series against South Africa, scoring a century and two half-centuries in these games.

The ICC Player of the Month voting process:

The three nominees for each of the categories are shortlisted based on on-field performances and overall achievements during the period of that month (the first to the last day of each calendar month).

This shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world. The ICC Voting Academy comprising prominent members of the cricket family including senior journalists, former players, and broadcasters and some members of the ICC Hall of Fame.

The Voting Academy will submit their votes by email and will retain a 90% share of the vote. Additionally, fans registered with the ICC will be able to vote via the ICC website once the shortlisted players are announced and will have a 10% share of the vote. Winners will be announced every second Monday of the month on the ICC’s digital channels.

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has noted with shock and disappointment the actions of the Members’ Council (MC) in not agreeing to the proposals put forward by the CSA Interim Board to amend the CSA Memorandum of Incorporation. The Interim Board has acted on a mandate from the Minister of Sports Arts and Culture, Minister Nathi Mthethwa, to resolve the governance issues that have plagued CSA over the past decade. Key to this has been the implementation of the widely supported 2013 Nicholson Recommendations.

SACA CEO Andrew Breetzke stated, “the actions of the MC are in extreme bad faith, and are a direct challenge to the authority of the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture. Furthermore, in November 2020 the MC approved the appointment of the Interim Board with the specific mandate to amend the Memorandum of Incorporation – a majority of independent directors being the cornerstone of that amendment. Their actions are indefensible and evidence of pure self-interest.”

“This major setback has come at a time when the operational team at CSA has achieved great success in ensuring that our players enjoyed a domestic season despite the significant Covid challenges. This has been achieved through collaborative work between CSA, SACA, CSA Sponsors and Broadcasters, and is evidence of what can be accomplished when stakeholders work together in the best interests of the game. Whilst the MC has indicated that they are acting on the instructions of their constituencies, these constituencies do not include the players, sponsors and broadcasters – nor would I imagine the general public.”

“The consequences of the decision taken by the MC could be devastating to our game. Ironically, the very existence of the individual Provinces may be in peril as a result of their decision, as CSA’s financial sustainability will be placed under further pressure,” concluded Breetzke.

“South African cricketers have suffered under dysfunctional governance at CSA for over three years. As a consequence, players will suffer a significant financial deficit this financial year. We have welcomed the role of the Interim Board in resolving these governance issues, and have been looking forward to the building of a robust and effective governance structure, with a strong leadership team at CSA. The events of the past few days are evidence that the best interests of the game we love are not being protected – we therefore urge the MC to review their decision and move in a direction that will benefit the game” added Khaya Zondo, SACA President.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the winners of the inaugural ICC Player of the Month Awards which recognise and celebrate the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket throughout the year.

Commenting on Ismail’s inaugural ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award, Mpumelelo Mbangwa representing the ICC Voting Academy said: “Ismail reached a hundred T20I wickets in their series against Pakistan. She leads the way and is the first South African to reach the milestone. With her pace and aggression, she continues to lead the South African women’s team’s bowling attack admirably. She is a joy to watch in action.”

Reacting to her award win, Shabnim Ismail said: “Winning the ICC Women’s Player of the Month in January just shows that all the hard work I put in during the lockdown has paid off for me. This accolade would not have been possible if it were not for my teammates and I am grateful and thankful for all your support. Also, to all my fans and friends all around the world thank you very much for the vote, it really meant a lot to me. And lastly, a special thanks to also my family who have been there for me and supported me all through the way.”

Fans can continue to vote every month for their favourite male and female cricketers across all formats of international cricket as part of the ICC Player of the Month initiative by registering on the www.icc-cricket.com website.

The ICC Player of the Month voting process:
The three nominees for each of the categories were shortlisted based on on-field performances and overall achievements during the period of that month (the first to the last day of each calendar month).

The shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world. The ICC Voting Academy comprising prominent members of the cricket family including senior journalists, former players, and broadcasters and some members of the ICC Hall of Fame.

The Voting Academy submit their votes by email and retain a 90% share of the vote. Additionally, fans registered with the ICC are able to vote via the ICC website once the shortlisted players are announced and have a 10% share of the vote. Winners are announced every second Monday of the month via the ICC’s digital channels.

• FICA has released its Women’s Global Employment Report 2020. The report follows FICA’s 2018 Women’s Global Employment Report and men’s report released last August. It includes key findings and recommendations, based on:
• The further evolution of a professionalization maturity curve and metrics focused on achieving gender equity in cricket
• Country by country analysis
• Employment landscape and game structure data
• Global player survey data

The report includes a set of eight recommendations relating to:

• Volume of Cricket – Ensuring ‘tagged’ funding is utilized to increase the volume of cricket across more countries

• Structure Clarity – Developing and agreeing on clear global scheduling windows

• Gender Equity Frameworks – Convening a dedicated global multi-stakeholder group to develop and publish step plans for achieving gender equity at global level and across countries, and to track progress against them

• Centralised Funding – Ensuring clear and transparent ‘tagged’ funding streams at ICC level to assist to expedite professionalism and strengthen the foundations of the women’s game and gender equity ambitions

• Representation – Developing clear targets for women’s representation on all relevant boards, committees and panels

• Minimum Standards – Developing and agreeing on mandatory global minimum standards at ICC level across areas including health and safety, player welfare, contracts and contract enforcement, maternity and family caring provision, bullying and intimidation

• Dialogue – Ensuring clear channels of ongoing and meaningful engagement and dialogue between governing bodies and players’ associations

• Protecting People – Ensuring proactive protection of players’ fundamental rights at ICC level, including through removing systematic barriers to players’ associations, and committing to internationally recognized human rights frameworks

FICA Director, Lisa Sthalekar said:

“Women’s cricket has made significant gains which were on display at the recent T20 World Cup final. Players, administrators and national boards around the world need to continue to work together and invest heavily in building on this to capitalise on the hard work of those who have laid the platform, create a new normal, and to ensure the women’s game isn’t ever an afterthought. Let’s keep working together to ensure the women’s game uses the platform it has created to go to the next level.”

FICA Chief Executive, Tom Moffat said:

“These reports are an important part of FICA’s work tracking global developments against key metrics. Players are central to the future success of the game and it has been pleasing to see further recent progress. There is a long way to go to ensure the fundamentals are in place around the world though and we want to see targeted and specific action to ensure more playing opportunity, that gender equity principles are embedded in the game, and that player rights are respected at a global level and across countries.”

FICA produces its men’s and women’s global employment reports on a bi-annual basis. This report is retrospective covering the 2018/19 report period and FICA acknowledges more recent progress and developments in several countries including England and Wales.

A copy of the report can be accessed HERE.

As Proteas cricketers, we are proud to be representatives of South Africa.  We have reached the pinnacle of our playing careers and we strive for excellence every time we walk onto the field.  We play for every South African.

This year has been challenging.  COVID has already cost our teams tours to the West Indies, Sri Lanka and England, and we are all hoping that the Proteas Men we will be able to commence the international season against England in the summer.

However, as Proteas players, both men and women, we are concerned about the future of our game.  At Board and Operational level, Cricket South Africa has lurched from crisis to crisis over the past year.  Issues such as suspensions, dismissals, resignations, forensic audits, confidential leaks, litigation and financial mismanagement have dominated the cricket headlines. This is happening at a time when we are having challenging conversations about transformation, and in an environment where the financial viability of the game is under major threat.  

High standards are expected of us as players. To succeed as Proteas teams, we know we have to put aside personal differences and work together.  We require the same of our administrators. Politics and self-interest appear to trump cricket imperatives and good governance.  Decisions must be made that are in the best interests of cricket, failing which the game we love may be irreparably damaged in this country.  The Proteas teams must be strong, the domestic structure must be strong, and the transformation pipeline must be strong – we demand that this be the focus of the CSA Board and Operational Team.

The CSA AGM scheduled for 5 September 2020 has now been postponed.  This may be the last chance we have to change direction and save the game.  As Proteas we demand that all stakeholders heed our sincere plea. 
 
Aiden Markram, Andile Phehlukwayo, Anrich Nortje, Ayabonga Khaka, Beuran Hendricks, Chloe Tryon, Dané van Niekerk, David Miller, Dean Elgar, Dwaine Pretorius, Faf du Plessis, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Laura Wolvaardt, Lizelle Lee, Lungi Ngidi, Marizanne Kapp, Masabatha Klaas, Mignon du Preez, Nadine de Klerk, Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Sune Luus, Tabraiz Shamzi, Temba Bavuma, Trisha Chetty, Tumi Sekhukhune

Time to get fit or have fun trying!

Virgin Active’s Fit Fusion is here, with Women’s Health South Africa.

It’s time to get up and get active on Saturday 9 May at 8:00 am, in one of the biggest live online group exercise experiences South Africa has ever seen.

From a high-energy functional training Grid class, kicking butt with our Kick instructor, a calorie-busting Shape session, punching away the lockdown frustrations in Boxing and zoning into your zen with Yoga, this combination of workouts will get your day started the right way.

Get moving with five of our most popular group exercise classes presented by some of our best instructors, combined to create one big live workout experience wherever you may be. No matter what your level of fitness, we encourage everyone to join us for some online fitness fun:

08:00 – 08:10 Welcome and warm up with Ceri Hannan

08:20 – 08:40 Shape with Delia Flisberg

08:50 – 09:10 Kick with Nkosi Mdlalose 

09:20 – 09:40 Grid Training with Ceri Hannan

09:50 – 10:10 Boxing with JP Venter

10:20 – 10:40 Yoga with Joelle Sleebos

We will have some fantastic spot prizes up for grabs, which include:

• 1 of 5 Virgin Active 6-month Premier gym memberships
• 5 x Personal Trainer Packs (12 sessions per pack)
• 10 x Virgin Active limited edition bags
• 10 x pairs of Adidas trainers

The event will be hosted on Facebook Live, Join Virgin Active Fit Fusion with Women’s Health right here (Fit Fusion Facebook Page) or https://virg.in/qyo

so make sure you click ‘GOING’ on the event to stay in the loop with all the latest information. The workout will go live from 08:00 so be ready to get moving with your mat, water bottle and sweat towel.

Anyone is welcome to join in the fitness fun, whether you’re a Virgin Active member or not!

Drop it like a squat. Give your calories the last dance.

#VAFitFusion

#LiveHappilyEverActive

#WomensHealthSA

A scintillating career-best century by Andries Gous was the catalyst for the VKB Knights to continue their Momentum One-Day Cup revival after they chased down 308 to beat the Momentum Multiply Titans in Kimberley on Sunday.

The right-hander struck 163 off 145 balls, including 13 fours and three sixes, in a match that saw three hundreds in total scored as Aiden Markram (103 off 94 balls, 8 fours, 2 sixes) and Diego Rosier (112 off 108 balls, 7 fours, 1 six) also made merry at the Diamond Oval.

But Gous’ fourth List A ton trumped them both to help the Central Franchise record their highest successful run chase in history and with it move off the foot of the table into fifth place.

They are now ahead of the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras (eight), level on 10 points with the Titans and one point adrift of the Warriors (11) with the race for the semi-final places hotting up.

Gous was not the only Knights player to shine too, with Mbulelo Budaza earlier claiming a career-best haul of five for 44 to help his side dismiss the visitors for 307 in 49.5 overs.

It was his second career five-for and beat the five for 58 he claimed for Northern Cape against Northerns in Pretoria last season.

However, the Titans still managed a formidable total thanks to Markram and Rosier, who put on a franchise record of 196 together for the second wicket to lead the batting.

The former, who was playing in his second match since returning from injury, posted his ninth List A ton and the latter his fourth.

Rivaldo Moonsamy (22) and Grant Thomson (21) were the only others to post double-figure scores.

Jacques Snyman (6) fell to Markram (2/39) early in the chase, but Gous then dominated in an innings that saw him go past his previous best highest score of 149 for Free State against Northern Cape in Kimberley during 2016/17.

He shared in a 135-run second-wicket partnership with Keegan Petersen (45), before putting on 69 with Grant Mokoena for the next wicket.

Seventy-nine unbroken in just 7.2 overs then followed with Wandile Makwetu (47) as the Knights chased down over 300 for the first time to secure a vital win.

A 14th career ton from Reeza Hendricks was the catalyst for the Imperial Lions to make it five Momentum One-Day Cup wins from six as they edged out the Warriors by nine runs on the DLS Method in Johannesburg on Sunday.

The Standard Bank Proteas opener struck clubbed five sixes and six fours in an innings of 112 off 105 balls to help propel the hosts to an impressive 254 for five in a clash initially reduced to 39 overs per side on account of the weather.

Dominic Hendricks also struck 70 (80 balls, 7 fours) and shared in a stand of 142 alongside his namesake at the Imperial Wanderers.

Despite losing regular wickets, the visitors were in the hunt until late in the game thanks to Lesiba Ngoepe’s 94 off 70 balls (6 fours, 4 sixes), but they fell narrowly short.

The result meant that the Lions moved to 22 points on the table to stay second and in touch with the Hollywoodbets Dolphins (26), having played a game less.

They were dominant from the outset thanks to the two Hendricks’, who helped them motor along after the early loss of Ryan Rickelton (25) when they lost the toss and were asked to bat first.

The pair took their side to a powerful 185 for one in the 32nd over followed by Wihan Lubbe (20) then offering support late on as the innings ended strongly.

Stefan Tait finished as the best of the bowlers with three for 48.

The Warriors’ reply was very truncated after six wickets fell in the opening 20 overs in which Matthew Breetzke (31) was the top scorer and Aya Myoli (2/46) the main wicket-taker.

That left Ngoepe fighting almost a losing course from 110 for six, but he kept his chin up and added 76 with Ayabulela Gqamane (22) before falling six runs short of a deserved ton.

It looked like the end was nigh when he fell with more than 50 to get.

But the ever-reliable Sisanda Magala launched a late assault with five sixes that threatened the Lions with his unbeaten 37 off 21 balls, but he ran out of time.

Heinrich Klaasen and Lungi Ngidi set the standard in their respective disciplines with bat and ball as the Standard Bank Proteas regained their competitive edge to beat Australia by 74 runs in the opening Momentum One-Day International at Eurolux Boland Park on Saturday evening.

Momentum Man of the Match Klaasen scored his maiden ODI century (123 not out off 114 balls, 7 fours and 3 sixes), coming to the crease when the Proteas, having won the toss, had suffered one of their all too familiar top-order collapses to be 48/3 and then 50/3 at the end of the opening power play. He stayed to the end to set up a very good total of 291/7 at a venue where the team batting second often finds big totals difficult to chase.

The recovery was started by a 78-run fourth-wicket partnership with Kyle Verreynne – one of two debutants in the match along with Janneman Malan – and then consolidated by Klaasen and David Miller (64 off 70 balls, 4 fours and a six) with a record fifth-wicket partnership against Australia of 149 as the Proteas scored 159/1 in the second power play and 82/3 in the final one.

Then it was Ngidi’s turn to nip out the two batsmen who Australia relied on the most to lay the foundation for a big chase – Aaron Finch and David Warner – and later went on to remove Mitchell Marsh with an absolute beauty that hit the top of off-stump.

He was not required to bowl his final two overs such was the margin of victory for the outstanding figures of 3/30.

Tabraiz Shamsi also played a key role which required him to bowl his final three overs into the final power play when he picked up both of his wickets. His game has grown with leaps and bounds since he was given the confidence that comes from consistent selection and he is one player who has nailed down his place on the road ahead to both the T20 World Cup this year and the 50 over version in 2023.

It was an outstanding all-round performance and whatever words were spoken in the changing room when the squad assembled have had the desired effect. The basics were all done well with the Proteas having two substantial partnerships to set up their total and batting the full 50 overs without relying on a major contribution from their captain.

The five-man attack also fired as a unit while the fielding was the best it has been all season with inspirational saves being made in the circle by a variety of individuals and Verreynne taking three outstanding catches.

Best of all was the fact that with David Miller being the senior player both in terms of age and experience the Proteas have a group of players who should all be around for the next 50 overs World Cup.

Steve Smith set the Australians up for a competitive chase with his innings of 76 (4 balls, 3 fours) but they were setback fatally when they lost 5 wickets in the second power play, leaving far too much to be done by the lower order.

The Proteas got the better of Pakistan to record their third victory from three, with Laura Wolvaardt in excellent form with the bat in her first innings of the tournament.

Dane van Niekerk’s side will top the group if they beat West Indies in their final match on Tuesday.

Should they lose then England will take top spot after they ended their first stage with a win over Stafanie Taylor’s side.

Wolvaardt roars to take Proteas through

South Africa maintained their perfect Group B record as Laura Wolvaardt’s superb half-century helped the Proteas to a 17-run win over Pakistan.

Wolvaardt had yet to bat in Australia but made up for lost time in style, a plethora of straight and cover drives lighting up the Showground in her 53 from 36 balls.

Classy cricket formed the 20-year-old’s approach, making the most of a tricky pitch which saw none of the four batters above her score quicker than a run a ball.

Pakistan had a similarly tough time with bat in hand, Aliya Riaz’s 39 not out not enough to win in Sydney with Shabnim Ismail, Dane van Niekerk and Nonkululeko Mlaba each taking a wicket.

“It really meant a lot to me, it’s probably the biggest contribution I’ve made to this team if I think about the importance of today and the World Cup,” said Wolvaardt.

“I’ve been itching to get going, but me not batting is the first two games is a good thing for the team.

“I’m not a natural big hitter, it’s been quite a journey for me to get that spot in this T20 side, it’s been something I’ve worked really hard on.

“We have a lot of individual match-winners in the side, we’ve spoken a lot about bringing it all together. The way we’re going about our games is really amazing compared to the last World Cup.”

Pakistan captain Javeria Khan added: “We’re disappointed in this game, it was a really good performance in the first 16 overs, but we lagged behind in the last four overs with the ball.

“We weren’t up with the plans, we didn’t execute the plans well and we lost our way in the field a bit.

“With the bat, we need to understand when the best time to accelerate is. We left it too late, but it was a much-improved performance from the girls.

“As we play more matches, we’ll understand the need to accelerate at the right time in the future.”

A maiden List A century by Zubayr Hamza laid the foundation for the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras to edge the Hollywoodbets Dolphins by five runs on the DLS Method in their round three Momentum One-Day encounter in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday.

The Standard Bank Proteas batsman was in supreme form, striking 129 off 133 balls (8 fours, 1 six) to help his side amass 320 for six.

After a brief rain delay during the chase – and the target being revised to 286 in 43 overs – Jason Smith bagged three for 36 to restrict the hosts to 280 for nine.

It ended a closely-fought affair and inflicted a first loss of the 2019/20 term on the in-form KwaZulu-Natal outfit.

The Cobras were full value for their win, though, especially after the way they batted.

Another Protea, Pieter Malan offered them a strong start with his innings of 71 (81 balls, 8 fours) after they won the toss and batted. He put on 111 with Hamza for the second wicket, before Smith (29) and the top-scorer combined for 62 during their third-wicket partnership.

George Linde (49) also joined the fun when he helped Hamza add 78 for the fourth wicket – the Cape side eventually setting 321.

The Dolphins had a good go at the target thanks once again to the in-form Grant Roelofsen. The young wicket-keeper, who hit his maiden ton on Friday, made 69 off 80 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes), sharing in stands of 74 with Sarel Erwee (30) for the first wicket and then 68 alongside Vaughn van Jaarsveld (41) for the next wicket.

But quick wickets by Smith pegged back the Dolphins.

Khaya Zondo (44) and Robbie Frylinck (32) did their best to keep pace, but scoreboard pressure eventually caught up with them as the Dolphins fell agonisingly short.

This time it was England who triumphed but not before they had had some nail-biting moments before getting over the line by two wickets although they had 40 balls in hand.

The series was thus tied 1-1 after the Proteas won at Newlands and the second match at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead was washed out after only 11 overs.

England’s victory was set up by their two frontline spinners, Adil Rashid, who was named Momentum Man of the Match) and Moeen Ali, who were both playing for the first time in the series and took a combined 4/93 in their 20 overs as they worked their way through the Proteas top order. Moeen also shepherded the England tail at the climax of their runs chase.

The Proteas total of 256 was one that can seldom be defended at the Wanderers and it seemed even less likely to happen after the opening blitz between Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow who scored 61 runs off the first six overs and enabled England to score an imposing 77/2 in the opening power play. This was compared to the 36/1 that South Africa managed to score in the comparative period after they had lost the toss and had to bat under the more challenging conditions.

Nevertheless they still looked well in the game when Quinton de Kock (69 off 81 balls, 5 fours and 2 sixes) and Temba Bavuma put on 66 off 76 balls for the second wicket and then De Kock and Jon-Jon Smuts a further 46 off 51 balls for the fourth.

An important turning point was the needless run out of Smuts who had played the spinners better than most, depriving David Miller (69 not out off 53 balls, 4 fours and 4 sixes) of a specialist partner in the crucial last 7 overs when he had to shepherd the tail and probably made the difference between the target that was set and one that would have been a lot closer to the 300 mark.

Lungi Ngidi and Beuran Hendricks took three wickets each but the bowling star for the Proteas – and a most encouraging one at that – was the 21-year-old Lutho Sipamla (1/42 in 9.2). He played a key role in pegging England back after the initial batting onslaught.

In the end the Proteas only came up just short and the fighting spirit and energy they showed will go a long way to build public confidence in the brand.

De Kock was named Momentum Man of the Series as the leading runs scorer, including a century and half-century, and has strengthened his credentials as South Africa’s new ODI captain.

Gihahn Cloete struck 91 for the Warriors as they hit back on the penultimate day of their 4-Day Domestic Series encounter against the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras in East London on Wednesday.

Replying to the visitors’ 333, the mean from the Eastern Cape resumed day three on 104 for two, before declaring on 341 for nine at Buffalo Park – the two teams essentially cancelling out each other in a match that has been affected by the weather.

David Bedingham then blazed an unbeaten 56 off 50 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes) to help the Cobras reach stumps on 109 for one, a lead of 101.

With just a day to go, a draw now looks like the most likely outcome between the two Cape rivals.

Day three was mainly bat-dominated as Cloete led the way for the home side. He faced 154 balls and landed 18 boundaries, before falling nine shy of a century.

The left-hander shared in a 121-run third wicket stand with Rudi Second, who also hit a half-century, before falling for 55 (124 balls, 8 fours, 1 six).

Cloete and Sinethemba Qeshile (28) added 54 for the fourth wicket, with further lower order contributions coming from Lesiba Ngoepe (24) and Jade de Klerk (22) after which the Warriors declared.

The pick of the bowlers was George Linde with two for 43, the spinner being one of four bowlers to claim two wickets.

The Cobras then lost Janneman Malan (20) early, but Matthew Kleinveldt (27) and Bedingham combined for a 79-run unbroken second-wicket partnership that took the Cobras to the close.

A maiden career five-for by Okuhle Cele helped the Hollywoodbets Dolphins make further gains towards a third successive 4-Day Domestic Series win after they closed day three of their clash against the VKB Knights on top in Durban on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old paceman claimed a fine five for 38 in 14.5 overs at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium where the visitors were made to follow on after falling for 155 in their first innings – responding to the home side’s 335.

But the Central Franchise did a much better job the second time of asking by progressing to 110 for two at the close, still needing 70 more to make their host bat again.

Bad light did disrupt the game late on the third afternoon forcing a slightly early end to proceedings, although there remained only one side that could win it after another solid day by the coastal side.

Cele, whose previous best performance at first-class level was the four for 115 he took for KwaZulu-Natal against Easterns at Benoni earlier in the current term, was well backed up by the competition’s leading wicket-taker, Prenelan Subrayen, after the claimed four for 49.

Together they put the Dolphins on the front foot from the get-go when the Knights resumed the morning on 86 for four.

The first strike of the day came in the ninth over of the day when a 35-run stand between top-scorer Andries Gous (45) and Wandile Makwetu was snapped by the only other wicket-taker in the innings, Kerwin Mungroo (1/14) after he took out the latter for 17.

Shaun von Berg (0) and Shadley van Schalkwyk (1) followed in the next over when Subrayen struck twice in four balls leaving the score suddenly at 117 for seven.

Cele, in his 12^th franchise game, then did the rest as the Knights were dismissed in 64.5 overs.

Raynard van Tonder, the leading run-scorer in the competition, then went past 800 runs as he led a strong reply for the Bloemfontein-based visitors.

The young starlet showed admirable application on his way to an unbeaten on 61 (203 balls, 4 fours) at the close, having shared in an opening stand of 92 with Grant Mokoena (36).

But he lost his partner leg before wicket to Subrayen (1/46) in the final hour, with the Dolphins also claiming the late wicket of Patrick Kruger (6) in the penultimate over through the outstanding Senuran Muthusamy – the Standard Bank Proteas all-rounder claiming one for 28 in 23 overs.

The Proteas Women produced a powerful performance from their bowlers to cruise to a decisive 2-0 series win in the One-Day International (ODI) series against New Zealand Women at Eden Park outer field today, winning the second game by eight wickets, backing up their 9 wickets win in the first ODI.

The victory was set-up by some impressive pace bowling from Marizanne Kapp, who along with Shabnim Ismail, were parsimonious with the new ball. The latter, despite not taking a wicket conceded just 10 runs from her eight overs, while Kapp claimed impressive figures of 4/29 from her 8 overs, and Ayabonga Khakha continued her impressive return from injury with figures of 2/21 in her seven.

As in the opening ODI, when the Proteas Women restricted the White Ferns from dominating with the bat with only veteran Suzie Bates contributing with a respectable 38 off 60 balls, the entire attack was clinical.

Kapp new that the momentum was with the Proteas Women and never relented. She landed the ball around off stump with remarkable consistency, using a hint of swing to angle in at the pads, and a hint of seam or bounce to challenge the outside edge. In the end, she walked away with the player of the match accolades after setting up the team for a reasonably easy chase.

However, the chase did not start well with the ever-reliable Laura Wolvaardt departing without troubling the opposition after being caught behind by Martin off the bowling of Sophie Devine.

Instead of crumbling under pressure with the score at 15/1, Lizelle Lee was her usual destructive self with five boundaries and a maximum in a quickfire 38 off 43 deliveries. The dismissal of Lee in the 13^th over was never likely to challenge Proteas – especially not once Sune Luus and Mignon du Preez had made a buccaneering end, with the 3rd Wicket partnership amassing 50 runs in 52 balls, (SE Luus 20, M du Preez 31) to lead the Proteas Women to a comfortable 8 wickets win.

The added significance of this victory for South Africa is that it takes the team up to fourth in the Women’s ICC ODI Championship standings, which runs from 2017-20. The top five of the eight competing countries in the Championship qualify automatically for the ICC 2021 World Cup, with the remaining three entering the qualification tournament.

The series will now move to Seddon Park in Hamilton for the 3^rd and final ODI on Thursday, 30 January.

Beuran Hendricks claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in his first game in national colours and Quinton de Kock claimed a world record for the quickest wicketkeeper to 200 dismissals as the Standard Bank Proteas regained their fighting spirit and pride on the third day of the final Test match against England at the Imperial Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.

England nevertheless continued to hold the trump cards as they have set the Proteas to make 466 for victory in the remaining two days.

It was a heroic performance by the Proteas seamers who were deprived of the services of Vernon Philander’s final Test match bowling effort as he was ruled out by a hamstring strain after sending down only 9 deliveries.

Admittedly, some of the England batsmen gave their wickets away in the chase for quick runs but it was still a notable effort to bowl them out in little more than 60 overs.

It must also have left the South Africans wondering how much better their position could have been had they not had two bad periods of play when they first allowed England to get away with a century stand on the opening morning when bowling conditions were favourable and then when they allowed the England tail-enders to smash 82 in 10 overs and then lost 6/88 in reply.

Be that as it may, the Proteas may have put in some useful building blocks for the future even if the immediate present has some dark clouds.

Hendricks took 5/64 in an effort from which he will have learned a great deal and there were also good performances from Dwaine Pretorius who had earlier scored valuable runs in partnership with De Kock and Dane Paterson (a remarkable 1/18 in 13.3 overs).

Anrich Nortje completed an admirable quartet with two wickets to give him 7 in the match. He is the leading wicket-taker with 18 in the series and Stuart Broad is the only realistic person to have a chance to overtake him and to do that he will have to run through the Proteas as he did in his previous Test match at this venue.

It is, in fact, one of the ironies of the series that the Proteas could have the leading runs scorer in the series as well in De Kock whose first innings 76 is the top score in the match to date.

De Kock achieved his 200th dismissal in only his 43rd Test match as wicketkeeper. Overall this was his 47th Test match but he was not the designated keeper in two of those matches and did not keep in two others because of injury when AB de Villiers deputized.

The third day was a triumph for England fast bowler Mark Wood who completed a five-wicket haul to go with the valuable runs he had made the previous day.

Joe Root made the only half-century when England batted a second time, but they had useful partnerships down the order, the most important probably being the 56 for the first wicket between Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley that made sure that the South Africans would not bowl themselves back into the match following their first innings deficit of 213.

South Africa’s players received a rousing send-off to the Women’s World T20 next month with their coach Hilton Moreeng claiming that “the players we have at our disposal are some of the best” in the world.

Dane van Niekerk, who has not played a T20I since February 2019, leads a full-strength squad, 11 of whom were part of the last edition of the tournament. Back then, South Africa won only two of their four group matches and couldn’t make the cut for the semi-finals.

Sune Luus had taken temporary charge of South Africa over the past few months, leading the side to a series win over Pakistan and a loss to India. She takes up her usual role as lead spinner now that van Niekerk has proven her fitness – she was sidelined by a thigh injury – by playing a key role for the Sydney Sixers in the 2019 Women’s Big Bash League.

South Africa are well stocked in the fast bowling department with Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp set to continue a very successful partnership with the new ball. On the batting side of things, Laura Wolvaardt and Lizelle Lee form a solid top two with Chloe Tryon providing firepower down the order.

“It’s a group that has the talent, youth, experience and desire to help us win the T20 World Cup,” Moreeng said at an event in Johannesburg on Monday. “We have assembled a team that we feel can hold their own against anyone in the world and it will be important that we carry that belief into the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

Graeme Smith, CSA’s acting director of cricket, pointed to the players’ experience in the franchise circuit as he wished them well for the tournament which starts on February 21. “Many of our senior players are household names in T20 tournaments in Australia and England and they will set the tone for the rest of the team.”

There were a couple of relatively new faces as well: left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba, who made her T20I debut in September 2019, and Nondumiso Shangase, who will be looking to add to the four T20Is against her name.

A maiden career century on debut for his new franchise by fast bowler Hardus Viljoen helped rescue the Momentum Multiply Titans from big trouble to end the opening day of their 4-Day Domestic Series clash against the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras in a fighting position in Cape Town on Monday.

The pacemen, more prominent for his quick bowling rather than skills with his bat, blasted 132 off 110 balls (16 fours, 1 six) to help his side recover from 92 for six to 287.

Viljoen was ably supported by captain Grant Thomson (64 off 101 balls, 9 fours) with the hosts then replying by reaching the close on 62 for one at Newlands.

It completed a compelling day for both sides as they search for victory to keep alive their outside hopes of winning the competition.

The Titans had won the toss and batted first but found themselves in huge trouble as Nandre Burger (4/42) initially ran riot.

But the visitors rallied through Viljoen as he tore into the bowling during stands of 70 with Thomson for the seventh wicket and then 120 with Ryan Cartwright (22 not out) for the eighth wicket to give his side a respectable total.

Janneman Malan (30) and Matthew Kleinveldt (26 not out) then provided the Cobras with a strong start to the reply by adding 61 for the first wicket, before the former fell to Cartwright (1/12) with the home side trailing by 225.

Hollywood Bets captain, Marques Ackerman led from the front with a fine century that helped the Hollywoodbets Dolphins command a rain-shortened opening day of their 4-Day Domestic Series encounter against the log-leading Imperial Lions in Pietermaritzburg on Monday.

The left-hander struck 107 (138 balls, 13 fours, 1 six) – his seventh first-class ton – as the hosts reached 231 for two before afternoon showers forced an early close at the City Oval.

Only 60 overs were sent down in total with Sarel Erwee also impressing by ending the day 11 shy of his century. The opener was unbeaten on a far more sedate 89 (213 balls, 10 fours), handing the home side all the aces after they won the toss and batted.

The only two wickets to fall were those of Grant Roelofsen (9) to the in-form Eldred Hawken (1/56) and Ackerman, who had shared a fine 194-run second wicket partnership with Erwee.

Vaughn van Jaarsveld (6) was the other man unbeaten at the close of an excellent start for the Dolphins.

Grant Roelofsen’s eighth career century engineered a fine Hollywoodbets Dolphins fightback as they closed the third day of their 4-Day Domestic Series clash against the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras with the upper hand in Oudtshoorn on Wednesday.

The right-hander was unbeaten on 139 (195 balls, 17 fours, 3 sixes) at the close, having brought his side back from nearly the dead to hold a 199-run lead heading into the final day at the Recreational Ground.

The visitors reached the close on 280 for six despite earlier conceding an 81-run first innings lead.

They looked out of the game at that stage, especially considering the poor 174 first innings showing but showed there is another side to them thanks to the fight of Roelofsen.

He was ably supported by captain Marques Ackerman (69 off 53 balls, 12 fours, 1 six), while Standard Bank Proteas all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy chipped in with 33.

The pick of the bowlers with four wickets still standing was George Linde with three for 84.

Earlier Kerwin Mungroo (3/17), Muthusamy (3/92) and Prenelan Subrayen (3/73) shared nine wickets as the Cobras lost their last four wickets for one run.

They were 254 for six overnight and ended with 255 as the late collapse injected a whole new energy into the Dolphins that Roelofsen fully capitalised on.

Eddie Moore fell two runs short of a century as the Warriors enjoyed a fruitful day three of their 4-Day Domestic Series encounter against the Momentum Multiply Titans in Centurion on Wednesday.

The opener made a flowing 98 (126 balls, 14 fours, 1 six) to take his side to stumps on 310 for seven – a lead of 321 at SuperSport Park.

He was well supported by Sinethemba Qeshile, who recorded his second half-century of the match and was still unbeaten at the close on an attacking 57 off 65 balls (9 fours).

Sisanda Magala was also still there on 22, having begun the day by completing his ninth career five-for.

The burly seamer nabbed five for 81 to help the away side dismiss their hosts for 294 with the last three wickets toppled for 17, giving the Warriors the advantage.

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) today held a combined meeting of its Players Executive Committee and its Management Board in Cape Town.  Key outcomes of the meeting are as follows:

• Crisis at Cricket South Africa (CSA)

SACA calls for the resignation of the chief executive and the entire Board of CSA and for CSA’s Members Forum to appoint an interim committee to perform the duties and responsibilities of the Board until a new Board can be duly established.  A highly competent acting chief executive should be immediately appointed.

SACA also calls for a full and independently conducted, an investigation into how this crisis has arisen and who is responsible.  This should cover at least the last 24 months.

“Extremely poor leadership, both at an operational level and at board level, is what has got cricket into this disastrous position,” said SACA Chief Executive, Tony Irish.”  It is abundantly clear that there is no confidence, from any quarter amongst cricket stakeholders, in the CSA Board.  No one on the Board can say that he, or she, was unaware of what has been unfolding over at least the last year.  It has all been happening, in many respects even publically, under the Board’s very nose, and in some instances with Board support.”

• CSA Financial Position

SACA calls for a full review of the financial position of CSA and in particular of its going concern status over a four year period from the 2019 financial year to the 2023 financial year, as well as a forensic audit into how cricket’s money has been spent over the last 24 months.

“We have consistently flagged CSA’s financial position as being an area of real concern,” said Irish.  “Everyone in cricket, including the players, is dependent on the ongoing health and financial sustainability of CSA.  Accurate forecasts over a financial cycle are critical as one has to understand how big the financial problem actually is in order to find a solution to it.  We have also just seen the resignation from the Board of CSA of the Chairman of its Finance Committee and its Audit and Risk Committee citing amongst other things financial irregularities relating to credit card use.  Yesterday more CSA employees were suspended, including the former acting chief financial officer.”

• Domestic Restructure

SACA calls for an immediate reversal of the decision to restructure domestic cricket, which is the subject of court proceedings between SACA and CSA.

“In addition to the way this decision was taken we continue to maintain that it was not in fact for sound reasons relating to finances or cricket but instead for political reasons,” said Irish.   “It has adverse consequences for the majority of the professional cricketers in this country as well as for the standard of top-flight domestic cricket.  SACA stands ready to play its part in finding genuine solutions to the financial challenges facing cricket in South Africa but will not accept a structure being forced on the players.”

• Industrial Action

The possibility of players taking industrial, or protest, action in order to have concerns addressed by CSA was discussed and the possibility was not ruled out. 

“SACA re-iterates however that industrial action by the players should be viewed only as a very last resort,” said Irish.  “We also wish to reassure cricket fans, and other cricket stakeholders, that SACA will not embark on industrial action with the players during the upcoming England series.  We are very aware of the importance of this series to the Proteas and to England, to the many fans from both countries and to the media and commercial partners.”

• Proteas Mens Structures

SACA calls for a clear and transparent structure to be put in place around the Proteas Mens Team, involving experienced, credible and reputable cricket people as soon as possible. 

“In the England series across three formats which starts in three weeks time, the Proteas will be facing one of the best teams in the world,” said Irish.  “We know that the players will give 110% for South Africa on the field but it is critical that a proper professional structure is in place around the team.  The way in which CSA has dealt with this to date, and the fact that nothing is in place, is totally unacceptable.  It is ludicrous to expect players to be selected by unknown selectors.”

• Honouring of Agreements

SACA calls on CSA to honour all agreements signed by it with SACA.  This includes not only the MOU but all other agreements in place for MSL.

“In relation to CSA’s latest attempt to ignore the provisions of the MSL commercial agreement it is clear that the player commercial rights were unlawfully used and that this continued even after it was drawn to CSA’s attention and is still continuing today,” said Irish.  “An attempt by CSA’s chief commercial officer to publicly defend herself and CSA involved her attaching only select communications between CSA and SACA and not the full communications.  The full communications can be made available by SACA.”

• SACA Governance and Succession

At SACA’s annual general meeting in November, the players elected and confirmed its Players Executive Committee, being Omphile Ramela (President), Khaya Zondo, Mignon Du Preez (Proteas Women) and Farhaan Behardien.  The committee also includes SACA’s chief executive, ex officio.  Andrew Breetzke, who has been head of legal and player advocacy at SACA since 2012, has been appointed as SACA’s new chief executive to succeed the outgoing Tony Irish who will take up the position of chief executive of the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) in the United Kingdom in January 2020.

Dr Mohammed Moosajee, the former long-serving manager of the mens Proteas team, has been appointed to the SACA Management Board and David Becker, former head of legal at the International Cricket Council (ICC) has been appointed as strategic and legal advisor to SACA.

“We are very confident that even with Tony’s departure we have in place an experienced and committed Players Executive Committee, Management Board and operations team which will continue to strongly represent the players’ interests through the challenging times ahead,” said SACA President, Omphile Ramela. “Andrew has worked with Tony for many years and has the necessary institutional knowledge and experience for the job.”  

“Tony has dedicated 17 years of his professional life to the player cause in South Africa.  He has always acted with integrity and on principle, ensuring that the best interests of players and the game are protected.  He has never been afraid to hold authority to account, thereby gaining the respect of many in cricket throughout South Africa and the world.   Cricketers in South Africa owe Tony a debt of gratitude and his departure is a major loss for our sport.  Our loss, however, is the PCA’s gain, and we wish him all the very best as he embarks on this new challenge,” concluded Ramela.

Sibonelo Makhanya’s maiden T20 half-century helped drag the Paarl Rocks out of potential trouble and hand them sole control at the summit of the Mzansi Super League (MSL) table after they edged out the winless Jozi Stars by five wickets in Johannesburg on Sunday.

The right-hander walked into bat with his team on a dire 53 for four chasing 172 but struck 63 off 47 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes) – to beat his previous highest score of 46 not out – as the visitors won with four deliveries to spare.

It was a massive win in the context of the season with the result officially confirming the elimination of the hosts and defending champions from the competition. The Stars have lost all seven matches thus far and will now be playing for pride in their remaining games.

As for Paarl, they have now broken away from a three-team pack that were jammed on the top to progress to 23 points and an outright lead in the hunt for the play-offs.

They had to fight hard, though, at the Imperial Wanderers Stadium, where they were earlier punished by the home batsmen, led by top-scorer Reeza Hendricks, who crunched 74 off 53 balls (7 fours, 2 sixes) that helped amass 171 for three after being asked to bat first.

The Standard Bank Proteas opener shared in a 99-run second-wicket stand with captain Temba Bavuma (37 off 30 balls) before Rassie van der Dussen (28 off 20 balls) and Shoaib Malik (20 off 8 balls) took them home with an unbroken 44-run stand from the final three overs.

Isuru Udana ended as the pick of the bowlers with two for 29.

The Stars then carried the momentum from their strong finish into the field as key South Africa bowler Kagiso Rabada (3/36) took out Henry Davids (0), Faf du Plessis (18) and James Vince (1) inside the opening 4.4 overs.

And when the free-scoring Cameron Delport (32 off 16 balls) was sent packing by Duanne Olivier (2/39), the visitors appeared to be doomed.

But Kyle Verreynne (28 off 18 balls) and Makhanya initially saw off the strong wave of the Stars’ attack, before cutting loose in a 73-run fifth-wicket partnership. That was followed by Udana (28 off 16 balls) and the Man-of-the-Match 23-year-old from Durban bringing it home for their side with some room to spare.

Nelson Mandela Bay Giants captain Jon-Jon Smuts is hoping all his players continue to contribute during the Mzansi Super League (MSL), just as they have been doing during the opening four rounds of the competition.

The top-of-the-table team are currently preparing for round five on Saturday when they are scheduled to host the winless Durban Heat at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth.

The Eastern Cape franchise has been efficient, consistent and ruthless so far in MSL 2.0, sweeping away everything that has been put in front of them.

They have beaten defending champions the Jozi Stars twice and also toppled the previous pace-setters, the Cape Town Blitz, in their last match during the week.

What has stood out for Smuts is that no one single player is excelling for his team. “The big thing about T20 cricket is that you can have one or two individuals stand up and win you games,” he said. “But when you have a team like ours that put in a really big performance all round like they did in the last game it’s really pleasing to see.

“I always say that when you’re playing well as a unit then that’s even better. Something is going to happen for you.”

Four of the top five bowling averages are held by Giants’ players – Junior Dala, Chris Morris, Onke Nyaku and Imran Tahir – while Smuts and Australian Ben Dunk fill the top two spots amongst the batting averages.

The skipper added: “I don’t want to say you are relying on someone else, but you always know that there’s someone that’s got your back. Someone that’s there behind you that you can back 100 per cent.

“If you do have those individuals scoring in every game it makes you wonder what everyone else is kind of doing. So for us, it’s really exciting that everyone is contributing.”

While the Giants are flying in 2019, it has been pretty much same old story for the Heat.

They cannot buy a win, although last season’s basement team can hardly be blamed for that. The Durbanites cannot even buy enough game time to try and win.

The rain seems to follow the poor Heat everywhere, even when they leave the familiar surroundings of Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium which they again experienced in Centurion against the Tshwane Spartans on Thursday.

Their three washouts and one defeat leave them second bottom on the table and batsman David Miller is not happy.

“It’s very, very frustrating because obviously we just haven’t got going,” he lamented. “I think that’s probably the biggest thing.

“We lost the one game that we did play so we’re obviously a little behind the eight-ball.”

But Miller is keeping his chin up ahead of the PE trip.

“Chatting to a few of the guys like Dane Vilas for instance, he pointed out that the Stars won one game out of five last year and they ended up winning the comp,” he continued. “So we’re definitely not out of the competition and there’s definitely still a lot to play for.

“We just need to get on to the park and get some games going. So it is frustrating but we are prepping as well as we can. There’s nothing much we can do about the weather to be fair.”

And despite their woes, Miller is still enjoying the MSL experience.

He added: “It’s always cool to be part of this comp. There’s just a different sort of feel to it.

“There’s some seriously good players from around the world as well as the Proteas so there’s good vibes. But it’s never easy when you’re not playing and we just need to get on the field and get the opportunity to produce.”

The Tshwane Spartans capitalised on a late batting meltdown by the Jozi Stars to snatch a 20-run victory where defeat looked almost a certainty in their latest Mzansi Super League (MSL) derby encounter at the Imperial Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday.

On a day that Chris Gayle finally delivered – the West Indian superstar plundered 54 off 27 balls (6 fours, 4 sixes) – to set the defending champions up for what looked like a first win of the season as they eyed a 156-run victory target.

However, from 122 for three and only 34 required from 38 balls, they imploded spectacularly to be dismissed for 135.

It meant the last seven wickets fell for 13 runs with Morne Morkel the biggest benefactor, finishing with three for 21 in 3.3 overs.

Roelof van der Merwe claimed two for 11, while England paceman Tom Curran, who picked up the early wickets, recorded three for 30.

The result meant that the Stars, the winners of the inaugural title last year, have now lost six out of six and are affectively already out of play-off contention.

For the Spartans, they are up to third on the table, and continue to show a vast improvement compared to last season where they finished second bottom.

Like Gayle did for the Stars, it was a day when the other big superstar of MSL 2.0, AB de Villiers, delivered his first big performance of the season – the former Standard Bank Proteas captain striking 53 off 33 balls (4 fours, 2 sixes).

But it was not all plain sailing for his side, who slipped to 47 for four after winning the toss and batting.

An Aaron Phangiso (2/32) double pegged the Spartans back early with Theunis de Bruyn (0), Dean Elgar (18), Van der Merwe (5) and Heinrich Klaasen (10) all gone inside the first 10 overs.

But De Villiers and Pite van Biljon (45) rebuilt with a 63-run fifth-wicket stand that proved key in helping their side recover to 155 for six.

Dan Christian finished as the pick of the bowlers with two for 30.

Curran then brilliantly cleaned up Reeza Hendricks for a first-over duck early in the reply, before Gayle and captain Temba Bavuma (35) sharing 64 in only 4.5 overs for the second wicket.

The momentum continued even after Gayle fell, with Rassie van der Dussen (20) helping his skipper keep up with the pace.

When they were together, even a bonus point looked on the cards as victory appeared a formality with seven overs to go.

However, the losing mentality that has currently clouded over the Stars’ camp appeared to kick in as the rest of their batsmen panicked and gifted Tshwane a second win.

Dwaine Pretorius continued his outstanding Mzansi Super League (MSL) season with his fine all-round effort helping the Paarl Rocks climb to second on the table with a two-run win over rivals the Cape Town Blitz at Newlands on Sunday.

The Standard Bank Proteas all-rounder first blasted 29 off 16 balls to help the visitors post 163 for eight after they had lost the toss and were put into bat.

Pretorius, also the star of the last game, then claimed one for 22 in four overs and was supported brilliantly by Bjorn Fortuin (2/20) and Tabraiz Shamsi (2/26) as the hosts were restricted to 161 for nine.

It completed another important win for Faf du Plessis and his team – the four points propelling them to 15 points on the table, now two ahead of the Blitz, who have played a game more, and four behind the pace-setting Nelson Mandela Bay Giants.

The Rocks had won their last game on Friday when they beat the Jozi Stars in Paarl and they continued that good work in Cape Town to complete a perfect weekend.

It was a good game-all round for them, with Henry Davids (46 off 33 balls) and captain Du Plessis (21) giving them a good start with a 54-run stand following the early dismissal of Cameron Delport, out caught and bowled to Vernon Philander for eight.

After both set men fell in quick succession, England World Cup winner James Vince (23) and Pretorius carried their side forward with another strong partnership that lifted the total to 122 for three in the 14^th.

Sisanda Magala (2/35) and Wahab Riaz (1/24) managed to pull things back at the death as the target was restricted to 164.

In reply, the early doubles by Fortuin and Shamsi meant the match looked over as a contest as early as the 11^th over.

The pair took out Marques Ackerman (1), Janneman Malan (22), Liam Livingstone (8) and Asif Ali (13), while Quinton de Kock (23) fell to Hardus Viljoen (1/43) as the Blitz slipped to 69 for five.

A stand of 52 between Vernon Philander (33 off 25 balls) and top-scorer Mohammad Nawaz (41 off 23 balls) briefly raised the hopes of the home crowd.

In fact, the latter’s strong striking against Viljoen in the penultimate over when 14 runs came, left the equation at 12 off six balls.

But he fell from the first delivery of the last over bowled by Isuru Udana to all but end hopes, and even though Magala managed to bring things down further to four off one, Paarl held on to secure victory.

Brilliant late hitting by Marco Marais and Chris Morris provided a thrilling Mzansi Super League (MSL) finish as the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants came from behind to snatch a fine five-wicket win over the Cape Town Blitz in their top-of-the-table clash in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday.

Chasing a hefty 187 for victory, the hosts slipped to three for two, before captain Jon-Jon Smuts gave them belief with his excellent 73 (51 balls, 8 fours, 2 sixes), before Marais clobbered 40 off 20 balls and Morris swatted 19 off nine balls to complete the job with four deliveries to spare.

It meant the Giants leapfrogged the Blitz to the top of the competition standings with 15 points from four games, two more than their Cape rivals, who have played a game more.

The victory was made all the sweeter considering how the home side were chasing the game for most of it.

They lost the toss and were asked to bowl first, with the opposition top-order going crazy early on.

Quinton de Kock lambasted three sixes and four fours in his 39 off 18 balls, while fellow opener Janneman Malan struck 31 off 22 balls as the Blitz raced to 72 for none in the seventh.

The carnage continued through Marques Ackerman (26), Englishman Liam Livingstone (39) and Pakistan’s Asif Ali (22) – the visitors looking set for a 200-plus total at 149 for three in the 15^th.

But they were then hauled back in the final five overs as Onke Nyaku ended with two for 17.

There were also doubles for Imran Tahir (2/26), Chris Morris (2/33) and the expensive Junior Dala, who conceded a whopping 52 in his four overs but did manage two strikes.

The Giants failed to initially capitalise on that strong finish with the ball and found themselves in a huge hole inside the first nine balls as Matthew Breetzke (0) and England World Cup-winner Jason Roy (1) were sent packing by Anrich Nortje (1/41) and Dale Steyn (2/38) respectively.

But skipper Smuts and Australian Ben Dunk (28) managed to get the fire burning with a stand of 53 for the third wicket before another 44-run stand between the former and Heino Kuhn (15) followed.

However, when the latter fell in the 13^th over there were still more than 80 needed as the Blitz looked primed to close in.

Marais, though, had other ideas as he provided the support his captain needed to cut loose, before himself opening up after the dismissal of Smuts to carry the Giants over the line.

The final partnership between Marais and Morris yielding 37 in just 18 balls as a big hit by the Standard Bank Proteas all-rounder was not held on the fence by George Linde with the ball going for six and the win.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has suspended three senior members of management and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the 2018 MSL commercial agreement between it and the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA).  SACA wishes to clarify the facts relating to the player commercial rights arrangements for the 2018 MSL and for the 2019 MSL and further to other matters relevant to CSA’s statements regarding protection of player interest.

In November 2018 SACA and CSA signed a commercial rights agreement relating to the granting of player commercial rights for use in the 2018 MSL.  This was signed by the chief executives of both organisations.  The agreement provided for full payment of amounts due to players for these rights by 24 December 2018.  Despite ten months of engagement with CSA the payment due to the players, and to be paid via the SACA Players Trust, remained outstanding.

“We are very surprised that Naasei Appiah, Corrie van Zyl and Clive Eksteen have been suspended in relation to allegations surrounding CSA’s non-compliance with the 2018 MSL commercial agreement,” said SACA’s chief executive, Tony Irish.  “SACA didn’t deal with Appiah on this issue and in its dealings with Van Zyl and Eksteen over many months they both expressed a strong desire to resolve the payment issue, but it eventually became clear that higher approval to do so was necessary,” said SACA chief executive, Tony Irish.  “We think it’s highly unlikely that CSA’s chief executive, Thabang Moroe, would not have been aware of this ongoing issue. He was undoubtedly aware of payment obligations as he had signed the agreement.”

On 14 October 2019 SACA referenced the breach of the 2018 MSL commercial agreement in correspondence sent, inter alia, to Moroe.  SACA received no response to this.

On 16 October 2019 SACA sent a mail to Eksteen, copied to Moroe, stating that if not urgently resolved SACA would have no alternative but to proceed with a formal notice of dispute relating to the 2018 MSL agreement and also recording that CSA had yet to sign a 2019 MSL commercial agreement to secure the use of player commercial rights for the 2019 MSL. 

On 17 October 2019 Eksteen indicated that CSA was now prepared to resolve the matter.  On the same day SACA sent the necessary settlement agreements to CSA with a deadline to sign by 21 October 2019.  This deadline was simply ignored and no response was received.

On 23 October 2019 SACA gave notice of a formal dispute relating to the 2018 MSL agreement and CSA’s failure to make agreed payments.

The matter was only eventually settled on 29 October 2019 and a 2019 MSL commercial agreement was eventually signed.  Players were due to do commercial activations to promote the 2019 MSL on 30 October 2019.

“SACA believes that the 2018 MSL dispute and the signature of the 2019 MSL commercial agreement were only resolved because of the impending player commercial activations scheduled to take place on 30 October 2019,” said Irish.  “In the absence of an agreement CSA would not have had the rights to use the players in the activations.”

“SACA also believes that CSA’s persistent refusal to comply with the 2018 MSL agreement for such a long period was simply part of a much wider, systematic attempt to marginalise SACA and the role that it plays in protecting the collective interests of the players.  SACA is a fully recognised players association representing every professional cricketer in South Africa and the Players Trust holds all of the players commercial rights.  It is not a ‘player intermediary’ as suggested by CSA.” 

In 2018 the MOU18 negotiations between SACA and CSA were significantly delayed, despite SACA’s persistent attempts to complete these on time.  This affected the contract security of players and the MOU was eventually only signed on 31 July 2018, some three months after the expiry of the previous MOU.

On 24 February 2019 and 27 March 2019 SACA wrote letters to CSA, inter alia, expressing concerns relating to CSA’s financial situation, its failure to provide financial information, despite having agreed to do so, and the need to properly engage SACA on any proposed domestic restructure. CSA failed to reply to either of these letters.

On 5 April 2019 CSA took a decision to restructure domestic cricket without responding to SACA’s concerns, without consultation with it and in clear breach of a recognition agreement signed by SACA and CSA which provided for a specific consultation process before any restructure could happen. CSA simply ignored SACA’s concerns expressed over this breach.

Since April 2019 SACA has been barred from attending CSA sub-committee meetings including its finance and commercial committee, its chief executives committee and its cricket committee.  CSA is in breach of its own terms of reference in relation to some of these sub-committees which provide for SACA’s attendance.

In 2016 CSA had conducted a comprehensive review of its domestic cricket structure, led externally by Ernst and Young.  In taking the decision to restructure domestic cricket some two years later CSA disregarded key outcomes and recommendations of this review.

As a last resort, SACA filed an application in the High Court on 29 May 2019 seeking to overturn CSA’s domestic restructure decision. CSA has consistently failed to comply with the time periods prescribed by the rules of court relating to the filing of documents in this application and it has yet to file any answering papers.  This has led to significant delays in the court proceedings and created uncertainty, and player anxiety, in relation to what will happen in domestic cricket next season.

On 24 August 2019 SACA and CSA met in an attempt to resolve the issues related to the domestic restructure and to discuss both the CSA/SACA relationship and SACA’s concerns relating to CSA’s financial situation.  At the meeting, it was agreed firstly that CSA would conduct an external review of its longer-term financial position and secondly that SACA and CSA would put in place a “roadmap” and facilitation process to attempt to resolve the relationship issue and the domestic restructure issue by the end of October 2019.  As was also agreed, and to ensure the process was committed to in writing, SACA sent a draft roadmap agreement to CSA on 26 August 2019.  Despite requests made by SACA to CSA for it to respond CSA failed to do so for seven weeks thus rendering the attempted roadmap and facilitation process unworkable and ineffectual.  CSA has also failed to act on the agreement to conduct an external review of its finances.

“We note CSA’s statement that it has taken decisive action to protect player interest and the game and that it is conducting an investigation into the matter relating to the non-payment of the 2018 MSL agreement,” said Irish.  “We also note the statement by CSA’s chief executive that CSA adheres to the highest ethical standards in all its dealings and that consistency and accountability remain uppermost in its processes and procedures.”

“SACA believes that the matters that are set out above are as important as the MSL commercial agreement issue, if not more so, in order to protect both player interests and the interests of the game.  We also note the statements of CSA’s head of communications, Thamie Mthembu, that CSA’s investigation would go deeper into uncovering how the MSL dispute came about.  SACA accordingly calls upon CSA not only to ensure that its investigation into this MSL issue is conducted by an independent person, or organisation, but also that an independent investigation is conducted into these related matters.  We believe that this will ensure that the principle of accountability, referred to by CSA’s chief executive, is in fact, applied equally, fairly and without fear or favour.”

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) and the South African Professional Cricketers Trust (“the Players Trust”) today gave Cricket South Africa (CSA) formal notice of a dispute relating to breach of agreement in connection with the 2018 Mzansi Super League (MSL).  This dispute is in addition to the existing High Court application instituted by SACA against CSA in May 2019 which relates to the restructuring of domestic cricket.

Formal Dispute Relating to MSL 2018

In November 2018 SACA, the Players Trust and CSA signed a commercial agreement relating to MSL 2018 in terms of which the players, through the Players Trust, granted commercial rights for use by the league and the teams in the MSL and in return CSA was obliged to pay over amounts to the Players Trust so that the players could be paid for the use of their rights.

“Unfortunately CSA has persistently refused to pay an agreed amount relating to the use of the players’ commercial rights and consequently the players have yet to be paid for these,” said SACA Chief Executive, Tony Irish.  “This has occurred despite CSA having benefited from the use of the rights in last year’s MSL.”

“We have been trying to resolve this with CSA for many months but have now reached the point where formal steps have to be taken as players remain out of pocket.”

High Court Application Relating to Domestic Restructure

Despite delays, SACA’s court application relating to CSA’s decision to restructure domestic cricket continues in the South Gauteng High Court. 

“In normal circumstances, one would have expected the court application to be heard in or around October this year”, said Irish.  “However failures on the part of CSA to comply with the time periods provided for in the rules of court have led to unnecessary delays.  CSA also failed to respond for a long period to attempts to establish a process aimed at resolving the issues around the domestic restructure.  All of this has obviously been very frustrating for SACA and it creates uncertainty for the players.”

“SACA remains committed to the court application as this is necessary to deal with CSA’s decision to unilaterally impose a new domestic structure on the players without consultation and in clear breach of signed agreements between SACA and CSA.  This imposed structure, if allowed, would lead to a very significant number of provincial players losing their careers as professional cricketers and it would also give rise to the likelihood of substantial cuts in the earnings and benefits of franchises players.  In addition, we believe that it will weaken the standard of our top-flight domestic cricket across playing formats, at a time when we can ill afford to do this.”

SACA’s previously expressed concerns around CSA’s medium and long term financial situation also remain. 

“None of our concerns on this front have been dealt with,” said Irish.  “Instead we are now excluded from attending CSA’s finance and commercial committee meetings.”

“I wish to emphasise that despite all of this SACA remains willing to sit down with CSA in a genuine and good faith attempt to resolve these issues.  We wish to play a responsible role in dealing with the financial picture and we know that many of the issues require mutually agreed solutions.  This has to happen however in the context of good faith engagement between us, as the representative of the players, and CSA.”

 A career-best 87 off 53 balls by Wesley Marshall and strong display in the field paved the way for Easterns to win a thrilling CSA Provincial T20 final when they edged out KwaZulu-Natal Inland by five runs on Tuesday.

The opener clubbed two sixes and nine fours to propel the hosts to a strong 178 for six after they were asked to take first strike at Willowmoore Park.

The visitors made a good start to their response and looked on course for victory thanks to Grant Roelofsen’s own highest score of 79 off 58 balls (4 fours, 4 sixes), but strong bowling, led by Dyllan Matthews (1/23), and good fielding at the death, kept the away side to 173 for four.

And that was enough to earn the home side victory in what was the inaugural edition of the competition.

Powered by Marshall and fellow opener Yaseen Vallie (47), Easterns raced out of the blocks to reach 118 for none in the 12th over before the first wicket finally fell.

The pair were also aided by some poor fielding by the men from Pietermaritzburg as they looked on course for 200, before KZN Inland finally managed to drag things back at the death.

Only Imraan Manack (15 not out) and Jurie Snyman (11) managed double figures after the opening duo with the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, Kerwin Mungroo (3/25), and Michael Booth (0/26) instrumental in keeping their side in with a chance.

For KZNI to have a chance, they needed their openers to fire and Roelofsen and Cody Chetty (48), the competitions top-two run-scorers, obliged via a 102-run first-wicket stand that also ran until the 12th over.

But Matthews then bowled some tight overs alongside Manack (1/32) to help their side stay just ahead of the game.

It eventually came down to 15 from the last over thanks to Robbie Frylinck’s 32, but both the verteran all-rounder and the top-scorer were dismissed in those six balls sent down by Matthew Arnold (1/40) as Easterns held on to complete a special Heritage Day for the hosts.

The final was the last chance for Mzansi Super League wildcard hopefuls to impress, with the six teams now set to name their final picks. The announcement of the lucky six players is set for Wednesday.

Proteas women leg-spinning all-rounder Sune Luus will continue to captain her country in the absence of regular skipper Dane van Niekerk for the Proteas’ tour to India which begins later this month.

The South Africa A team are set to play five one-day matches followed by two four-day games. Bavuma, who will captain the A-side in the one-day games, sees the A tour as an excellent opportunity to acclimatise to sub-continental conditions.

“It is always nice to test yourself in foreign conditions like in the sub-continent. Obviously, we want to to get more game-time in conditions we are not used to. It is important to make runs and pick up wickets in such conditions, which will be good for us,”

Bavuma, 29, who made his Test debut in 2014, has been a regular in the side in the last two years. He has represented South Africa in two one-day internationals and 36 Tests and has scored a little over 1800 international runs.

“As a batter, you are always greedy and would want more runs and centuries against your name. I am enjoying my journey as a Test cricketer and am always trying to improve,” he said.

With the retirement of Hashim Amla, he believes that it comes down to the youngsters and those like him to step up. “It is difficult for any team in the world to fill the void left behind by Amla’s retirement. It is up to guys like me who have been playing Test cricket regularly for the last two years to step in and try to make it count,” he said.

The middle-order batsman knows it will not be easy to face a tough side like India. “Obviously any team will want to play well in India, which has got a quality side,” said Bavuma.

“As batsmen, we like to challenge ourselves against bowlers like [Jasprit] Bumrah, [Ravindra] Jadeja and [Ravichandran] Ashwin. And it will also be a challenge to bowl to world-class batsmen like [Virat] Kohli, [Cheteshwar] Pujara and others in the sub-continental pitches. More than individual performances, we will have to play well as a team in the upcoming tour.”

South Africa will play India in three Twenty20 Internationals followed by three Tests from 15 September to 23 October.

New Zealand held their nerve to clinch a hard-fought and comprehensive victory against Sri Lanka in fading light in the second Test on Monday and level the two-match series 1-1.

The victory was achieved with an hour left on day five when Lasith Embuldeniya edged a short delivery from Trent Boult to Kane Williamson at gully.

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 122 runs after New Zealand declared their second innings on 431/6 with a first-innings lead of 185. The game went to the last hour of day five at Colombo’s P Sara Oval, and though 19.4 overs remained when tailender Embuldeniya was the last man dismissed, umpires could have called off play at any time with the lightfast deteriorating.

New Zealand’s bowlers were hurrying through their deliveries knowing that they were racing against time. The first four days’ play had been severely affected by rain, wet ground conditions and bad light, but surprisingly the final day stayed clear after a 30-minute delayed start.

Sri Lanka had given away the initiative to New Zealand after losing five wickets for 32 runs before lunch, but a terrific fightback by wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella kept alive their hopes of salvaging a draw.

Dickwella, who was unable to keep wicket after a cut on his left little finger, showed plenty of character during a 51-run knock that lasted for three-and-a-half hours. It was his 13th half-century in Test cricket.

There was little support from rest of Sri Lanka’s batsmen, with skipper Dimuth Karunaratne’s 21 the second-highest score.

Suranga Lakmal and Dickwella batted for over an hour, but the stand was broken when Lakmal gloved one to close-in fielder Tom Latham after tea. Sri Lanka were still counting on Dickwella when he fell for his famous sweep shot.

The 26-year-old relies heavily on the shot to score his runs, but on this occasion, he had stayed away from taking undue risks.

Ajaz Patel switched ends and came on from the Air Force Flats side, and as Dickwella shaped to play the sweep shot, Latham at short leg moved to his left and positioned himself in the perfect place to snap up the chance.

Dickwella could hardly believe his luck before walking off dejected. Latham’s close-in fielding was brilliant and so was his batting, particularly his battles with Sri Lankan spinners.

The opening batsman was named man of the match for his 154, a seven-hour vigil in which he faced 251 deliveries and was involved in two hundred-plus run stands.

Tim Southee, Boult, Patel and William Somerville claimed two wickets each and Colin de Grandhomme claimed the big wicket of Angelo Mathews.

Warriors duo of fast bowler Anrich Nortje and wicketkeeper/batsman Rudi Seconds, as well as Hollywoodbets Dolphins, spin bowling all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy have all been included in the Standard Bank Proteas Test squad which will play in the three-match series against India in October 2019.

There are also three newcomers in the squad for the three-match T20 International series in bizhub Highveld Lions duo of batsman Temba Bavuma and spin bowling all-rounder Bjorn Fortuin as well as Nortje.

Quinton de Kock will captain the T20 squad with Rassie van der Dussen as vice-captain while Temba Bavuma will be the vice-captain to Faf du Plessis in the Test match squad.

Aiden Markram, Theunis de Bruyn and Lungi Ngidi were not considered for T20 selection as they will be continuing their preparation for the Test series by playing in South Africa A’s four-day matches against India A.

“All three newcomers to the Test side have more than earned their spurs through impressive performances in last season’s Four-Day Franchise competition,” commented CSA Acting Director of Cricket, Corrie van Zyl.

“We feel we have covered all the options for the conditions we are likely to encounter on the sub-continent with Muthusamy and Dane Piedt, who was far and away the leading wicket-taker in our Four-Day competition, providing the back-up to Keshav Maharaj.

“Zubayr Hamza made an impressive start to his Test career against Pakistan last season when Faf du Plessis was ruled out and the retirement of Hashim Amla creates a further opportunity for him.

“The T20 Series gives us the last chance to have a look at our leadership and batting options as the next edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is now little more than a year away which is why we have gone with an inexperienced leadership group. This is our last chance to do this before we settle on an established squad.

“I would like to stress that Faf du Plessis remains an important part of our plans for white-ball cricket.

“As far as the T20 squad is concerned, Temba Bavuma and Bjorn Fortuin were two of the standout players in the CSA T20 Challenge last season while Nortje was outstanding in the Mzansi Super League until ruled out by injury.

“This is very much a form squad with players being rewarded for their consistent performances at franchise level. This applies equally to Junior Dala and Jon-Jon Smuts,” concluded Van Zyl.

The annual Cricket South Africa awards will take place in Pretoria on Saturday. Several accolades will be handed out, including the Test Cricketer of the Year.

The candidates are Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn.

‘De Kock topped the Proteas’ Test-runs chart with 526 runs at an average of 43.83. His season’s best of 129 came against Pakistan in the third test, when he rescued South Africa’s innings from 93-5, adding a crucial 102 runs with Hashim Amla. De Kock also scored four half-centuries. Behind the stumps, he took 32 catches and made one stumping.

‘The Proteas captain recovered from his pair in the first Test against Pakistan to score a fighting 103 in the first innings of the second Test to set up a series win, which was the seventh series win at home for the Proteas under Du Plessis’ leadership. He scored 411 runs at an average of 41.10, including one hundred and two fifties.

‘The Proteas spinner took 20 wickets in five tests, at an average of 28.75. In the first innings of the second Test, away against Sri Lanka, Maharaj took a career-best 9-29, and ended the Test with match figures of 12-283 from a marathon 81 overs.

‘The leader of the Proteas attack took 33 wickets at an average of 22.57, which took him to the top of the wickets table. Rabada’s best performance of the season was 4-38. He also took nine catches.

‘The Proteas speedster made a successful comeback from injury and overhauled Shaun Pollock’s record of 421 wickets to become South Africa’s all-time leading wicket-taker. Steyn took 20 wickets at an average of 36.15, with a best of 4-48, taking his current career tally to 439 wickets.’ 

Other nominees

• Africa T20 Cup Player of the Tournament: Nandre Burger, Delano Potgieter, Marcos Marais.

• Domestic Newcomer of the Season: David Bedingham, Janneman Malan, Sinethemba Qeshile, Lutho Sipamla.

• One-Day Cup Cricketer of the Season: Junior Dala, Aiden Markram, Kyle Verreynne.

• T20 Challenge Cricketer of the Season: Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Bjorn Fortuin, Rassie van der Dussen.

• Four-Day Franchise Series Cricketer of the Season: Pieter Malan, Edward Moore, Keegan Petersen, Dane Piedt, Nicky van den Bergh.

• T20 International Cricketer of the Year: Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Rassie van der Dussen.

• ODI Cricketer of the Year: Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen.

• Cricketer of the Year: Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada.

• Delivery of the Year: Keshav Maharaj, Andile Phehlukwayo, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada.

• Women’s T20 International Cricketer of the Year: Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Dane van Niekerk.

• Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee, Dane van Niekerk, Laura Wolvaardt.

• Women’s Players’ Player of the Year: Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee, Dane van Niekerk.

• Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee, Dane van Niekerk.

Spearheaded by Faf du Plessis’ century and his 151-run partnership with Rassie van der Dussen, the Standard Bank Proteas finally produced a complete performance with bat, ball and in the field to beat Australia by 10 runs in their final match at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup at Old Trafford, Manchester, on Saturday.

In what was the 100^th ODI between the two countries the two teams produced a suitably memorable match which leaves both teams having won 48 encounters with three matches ending in ties and one no result.

It was also the Proteas eighth victory over Australia in the last nine encounters between the two countries and only South Africa’s second victory over Australia at a World Cup, the other one having come in South Africa’s first-ever match at a World Cup at Sydney in 1992.

Du Plessis was named man of the match for his century (100 off 94 balls, 7 fours and 2 sixes) and for his overall leadership qualities although the award could equally have gone to David Warner for his century (122 off 117 balls, 15 fours and 2 sixes).

It was Du Plessis’ fifth century against Australia against whom he has an average well in excess of 50 and his 12^th overall. He also became the seventh Protea to complete 1 000 ODI runs against Australia.

There were good supporting acts for both sides by Van der Dussen who made a career-best 95 (97 balls, 4 fours and 4 sixes) and Alex Carey for Australia (85 off 69 balls, 11 fours and a six).

Kagiso Rabada finally came out on top of the South African bowling attack (3/56) which included two critical wickets in his last over when Australia were still threatening to make a successful chase.

Other key contributions to the South African victory were the opening stand between Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock which enabled the Proteas to post easily their best total in the opening power play of 73 runs – it was also the fourth highest of the tournament – and a big improvement in the quality of the fielding with De Kock and Markram again playing key roles as did Chris Morris.

The outcome of this match is that India top the final log and will play New Zealand in the one semi-final and Australia take on England in the other.

Aiden Markram has been named as captain of the four-day squad and Temba Bavuma as captain of the one-day squad for the South Africa A tour to India in August and September.

The tour consists of five one-day matches to be followed by two four-day matches against India A.

Newcomers at this level are the Warriors duo of opening batsmen, Eddie Moore and Matthew Breetzke, as well as the spin bowling all-rounder pair of George Linde of the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras and Bjorn Fortuin of the bizhub Highveld Lions.

In addition, World Sports Betting Cape Cobras opening batsman Janneman Malan, Warriors wicketkeeper-batsman Sinethemba Qeshile and Warriors fast bowler Lutho Sipamla have already represented the Standard Bank Proteas at T20 International level.

“This is one of the most important South Africa A tours we have planned for some time,” commented CSA National Selection Panel (NSP) convener Linda Zondi “as it will focus on several important strategic areas.

“One of these is to broaden our leadership group and we see both Aiden and Temba playing an important role in this regard. We will be looking at other candidates during the course of the new season.

“Another is the opportunity to give some of our senior batsmen the chance to climatize for the Proteas Test match tour to India in October, and a third is to give an opportunity to younger players who have earned their chance through outstanding performances at a domestic level,” concluded Mr Zondi.

SA A four-day squad: Aiden Markram (Multiply Titans, capt), Temba Bavuma (bizhub Highveld Lions), Theunis de Bruyn (Multiply Titans), Zubayr Hamza (World Sports Betting Cape Cobras), Beuran Hendricks (bizhub Highveld Lions), George Linde (World Sports Betting Cape Cobras), Pieter Malan (World Sports Betting Cape Cobras), Eddie Moore (Warriors), Wiaan Mulder (bizhub Highveld Lions), Senuran Muthusamy (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Anrich Nortje (Warriors), Dane Piedt (World Sports Betting Cape Cobras), Rudi Second (Warriors), Lutho Sipamla (Warriors), Khaya Zondo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins)

SA A one-day squad: Temba Bavuma (bizhub Highveld Lions, capt), Matthew Breetzke (Warriors), Gihahn Cloete (Warriors), Junior Dala (Multiply Titans), Theunis de Bruyn (Multiply Titans), Bjorn Fortuin (bizhub Highveld Lions), Beuran Hendricks (bizhub Highveld Lions), Reeza Hendricks (bizhub Highveld Lions), Heinrich Klaasen (Multiply Titans), George Linde (World Sports Betting Cape Cobras), Janneman Malan (World Sports Betting Cape Cobras), Wiaan Mulder (bizhub Highveld Lions), Anrich Nortje (Warriors), Sinethemba Qeshile (Warriors), Lutho Sipamla (Warriors).

Faf du Plessis claims he couldn’t have asked for any more from his South Africa side after they slipped to a narrow defeat against New Zealand.

South Africa went down by four wickets, with just three balls remaining, at Edgbaston to suffer a fourth defeat and significantly reduce their chances of reaching the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup semi-finals

Despite being extremely disappointed with the outcome of the match, Du Plessis recognised that his men did as much as they could against a team they haven’t beaten at a World Cup for 20 years.

“It’s tough. You can feel it in the dressing room – the guys are hurting,” said the skipper. “We left everything out there. That’s all I can ask for as a captain.

“We’ve just not been as good as the opposition we’ve played against.”

South Africa’s batsmen were not able to emulate Kane Williamson, whose unbeaten century anchored New Zealand’s successful chase of 242 and particularly impressed Du Plessis. 

“Kane played a great knock. It’s probably the difference between the two sides, just one guy taking it through,” he added.

“I thought it was a really good knock, showing how to put innings together on a pitch that you need to decide when to push and when to hold back, and he picked his battles.

“He targeted a few overs in the game, and the rest he just ticked it off. So really good from him.” 

Williamson did not win the match alone and had the support of Colin de Grandhomme who scored 60 off 47 balls and shared in a 91-run sixth-wicket stand.

South Africa’s highest partnership was 72 runs and none of their batsmen have scored a hundred at the tournament so far, something which du Plessis put down to the transition period the squad finds itself in. 

“If you compare our line-up, especially our batting line-up, to other line-ups around the world, purely on a numbers point of view, that doesn’t stack up with the rest of the world,” he said.

“We’re not as experienced perhaps as other teams when it comes to that. The reason why I say not as good as other teams is we’re just not producing scores or innings that can win you games.

“We’ve got some young players, so there’s a future there. I’ve really backed them this tournament and I think they’ve got a great future ahead of them.

“Rassie (van der Dussen) has shown that he’s the real deal. I think he’s got leadership capabilities as well. He’s standing up to be a strong man in a big tournament for us.

“Andile (Phehlukwayo) has done well as a young guy. Aiden (Markram), we know the kind of player he is. He showed signs here that he can do it.” 

South Africa will go into the remainder of the tournament with those positives.

They are scheduled to play against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia, and Du Plessis has promised to keep fighting, even if a semi-final spot eludes his team. 

He added: “If you put everything out there and the better teams beat you, then life will go on.

“Obviously, I’m extremely disappointed. Cricket means a lot to me, and the performance of this team means a lot to me but I certainly can’t, if results don’t go our way, start running in the other direction.

“That’s not my character. So I’ll keep pushing forward and facing north, and hopefully that will be good for the team, and it will be good for myself as well.” 

A collective bowling performance followed by opener Lizelle Lee‘s third fifty-plus score in four T20Is helped South Africa women clinch the five-match series 3-2 against Pakistan women in Benoni. After limiting Pakistan to 125 for 5, Lee and nineteen-year-old Nadine de Klerk put on an unbroken century stand for the second wicket to usher the hosts home.

After being inserted, Pakistan lost Umaima Sohail to Shabnim Ismail in the fourth over and meandered to 30 for 1 in the Powerplay. Javeria Khan (20), captain Bismah Maroof (23), Nida Dar (28) and Aliya Riaz (26) all moved into the twenties, but none could find a gear high enough to hurt South Africa. The hosts used six bowlers, with only Masabata Klaas going wicketless. She was also the only frontline bowler to concede over eight runs an over. Ismail was the most economical of the lot, ending with 1 for 16 in her four overs.

Although Pakistan hit 19 off their last two overs, they ended with only 125 for 5. The target appeared much slimmer when Lee got going with a brace of boundaries off Riaz in the second over of the chase. Two overs later, he opening partner Tazmin Brits was dismissed by Nida Dar, but Lee moved to a 40-ball fifty and cut loose soon after, hitting Riaz for three fours in a row in the 15th over. Then, with South Africa needing five off five overs, she smashed a six off Dar to secure victory. Lee was well supported by de Klerk who contributed 37 in an unbroken 100-run stand that came at a run-rate of nearly nine.

While Lee was named Player of the Match, Dar has adjudged the Player of the Series for backing up her 192 runs with five wickets. Lee rounded off the series as the top scorer, making one run more than Dar’s tally. Nobody took more wickets than Dar – Ismail and Moseline Daniels also claimed five wickets each.