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Kyle Simmonds Crowned Overall Division 1 SACA MVP

The 2025/26 domestic cricket season concludes with Western Province all-rounder Kyle Simmonds named Division 1 Overall SACA MVP. Simmonds earned…

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Liam Alder Named Overall SACA MVP for Domestic Division 2

Following the completion of all domestic fixtures, Liam Alder of the Garden Route Badgers finished at the top of the…

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TWELVE YEARS OF RESEARCH-BASED PLAYER SERVICE

Over the past 12 years, the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has cemented its dedication to evidence-based practice through a…

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VERREYNNE STEERS COBRAS TO VICTORY AGAINST THE KNIGHTS

A masterclass maiden century by Kyle Verreynne anchored a superb chase by the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras as they edged out the VKB  Knights by three wickets for their first win of the Momentum One-Day Cup season in Bloemfontein on Tuesday night.

The young right-hander carved out an unbeaten 114 from 119 balls (12 fours) as the visitors chased down 283 with three deliveries to spare.

His hugely mature innings, which well surpassed his previous best of 84, came after his side had slipped to 15 for three, but the 21-year-old shared in three 50 plus partnerships that dragged his side out of trouble and to the first win of their 2018/19 campaign.

Earlier there were three half-centurions for the home side that lifted them to a competitive 282 for six. Andries Gous (60 off 79 balls, 7 fours), Keegan Petersen (52 off 75 balls, 1 fours, 2 sixes) and Ryan McLaren (56 off 56 balls, 4 fours, 2 sixes) all shone for the Central franchise after they had won the toss and elected to bat first at the Mangaung Oval.

Grant Mokoena (20) and Gous put on 57 for the first wicket, while there were 71 added by the third-wicket pair of Petersen and McLaren, who was promoted to bat at four.

The in-form Petersen then added a further 49 with captain Pite van Biljon (25), before Patrick Kruger’s late flourish of 39 from 19 balls gave the home side a competitive total.

Akhona Mnyaka was the pick of the bowlers with two for 61.

Marchant de Lange (three for 45) and Mbulelo Budaza (one for 33) then knocked over the top three of the Cobras for next to nothing, bringing Verreynne to the middle in only the fourth over of the chase. He then went on to bat for more than 45 overs, first sharing a partnership of 83 with Jason Smith (40) for the fourth wicket.

Aviwe Mgijima (38) brought more support after the dismissal of the latter with a 69-run fifth-wicket partnership, while 21 by George Linde helped keep the momentum going after the next wicket fell.

Dane Piedt then played a vital hand with his 36, which enabled the Cobras to bolster their total by another 67 for the seventh wicket and, even after the skipper fell, the victory was in sight for Verreynne.

Dane Paterson helped add the finishing touches – the visitors getting home in the final over.

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MZANSI SUPER LEAGUE ANNOUNCES FINALISED T20 SQUADS

The inaugural Mzansi Super League (MSL) T20 Player Draft was held today at Montecasino in Johannesburg today.

Each team had already been allocated a Marquee Standard Bank Protea player. Today the teams made their picks from the six International Marquee Players and then filled the remaining 14 places in each squad from the foreign and South African players who had applied to enter the draft.

In the mini-round to select the International Marquee Players, the Durban heat had first call and went for Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, the No. 1 ranked bowler in the current ICC T20 rankings. They were followed by the Jozi Stars who went for Chris Gayle of the Windies. Paarl Rocks followed with another Windies player, Dwayne Bravo. Cape Town Blitz then took Dawid Malan of England followed by Tshwane Spartans with England white ball captain Eoin Morgan and Nelson Mandela Bay Giants with England opening batsman Jason Roy.

In round one proper, the Giants led off with Chris Morris, followed by the Spartans with Lungi Ngidi, the Blitz with Andile Phehlukwayo, the Rocks with Tabraiz Shamsi, the Stars with Kolpak star Dane Vilas and the Heat with David Miller.

Lutho Sipamla became the first rookie to be chosen in Round Eight by the Spartans and they followed with another rookie in Tony de Zorzi in Round Nine. Other rookies signed were Sinethemba Qeshile for the Stars, Dyllan Matthews for the Giants, Okuhle Cele for the Heat, Eathan Bosch for the Rocks, and Kyle Verreynne for the Blitz.

The resulting teams are a unique blend of both local youth and international experience which is sure to make for some very exciting cricket.

The Draft order was predetermined by a weighted Player Matrix system. The players who are eligible for the main Draft are those who entered into a binding agreement to enter the Draft.

FINAL SQUADS

(in order of Protea Marquee Player, International Marquee Player, and then the 14 draft rounds, making a total of 16 players per squad)

CAPE TOWN BLITZ: Quinton de Kock, Dawid Malan (England), Andile Phehlukwayo, Dale Steyn, Samuel Badree (Windies), Asif Ali (Pakistan), Farhaan Behardien, Anrich Nortje, Janneman Malan, Malusi Siboto, George Linde, Ferisco Adams, Jason Smith, Sibonelo Makhanya, Kyle Verreynne (rookie), Dane Piedt.

DURBAN HEAT: Hashim Amla, Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Kyle Abbott (kolpak), Keshav Maharaj, Khaya Zondo, Albie Morkel, Marchant de Lange (kolpak), Vernon Philander, Brandon Mavuta (Zimbabwe), Temba Bavuma, Morne van Wyk, Okuhle Cele (rookie), Sarel Erwee, Tladi Bokako.

JOZI STARS: Kagiso Rabada, Chris Gayle (Windies), Dane Vilas, Rassie van der Dussen, Daniel Christian (Australia), Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, Eddie Leie, Pite van Biljon, Duanne Olivier, Ryan Rickelton, Sinethemba Qeshile (rookie), Simon Harmer, Calvin Savage, Alfred Mothoa.

NELSON MANDELA BAY GIANTS: Imran Tahir, Jason Roy (England), Chris Morris, Jon-Jon Smuts, Junior Dala, Christiaan Jonker, Aaron Phangiso, Ben Duckett (England), Sisanda Magala, Ryan McLaren, Heino Kuhn, Marco Marais, Dyllan Matthews (rookie), Lizaad Williams, Rudi Second, Carmi le Roux.

PAARL ROCKS: Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo (Windies), Tabraiz Shamsi, Dane Paterson, Aiden Markram, Mangaliso Mosehle, Bjorn Fortuin, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Grant Thomson, Paul Stirling (Ireland), Tshepo Moreki, Henry Davids, Cameron Delport , Eathan Bosch (rookie), Patrick Kruger, Kerwin Mungroo.

TSHWANE SPARTANS: AB de Villiers, Eoin Morgan (England), Lungi Ngidi, Robbie Frylinck, Jeewan Mendis (Sri Lanka), Theunis de Bruyn, Rory Kleinveldt, Sean Williams (Zimbabwe), Gihahn Cloete, Lutho Sipamla (rookie), Tony de Zorzi (rookie), Dean Elgar, Andrew Birch, Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Shaun von Berg, Eldred Hawken.

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SMUTS HUNDRED GETS WARRIORS OVER THE LINE

Captain Jon-Jon Smuts celebrated the 100th appearance of his formidable List A career with a fine century, as the Warriors completed a comfortable 90-run victory over the BuildNat Cape Cobras in Sunday’s key Momentum One-Day Cup fixture at PPC Newlands in Cape Town.

Smuts’s 173 not out from 164 deliveries, which included nine fours and eight handsome sixes, carried the visitors to a plentiful final total of 305 for six in the allotted 50 overs.

Registering a career-best score, the highest of this year’s tournament and the third largest in the history of List A cricket in South Africa, the hard-hitting right-hander offered the national selectors a timely reminder of his limited-overs prowess, ahead of June’s ICC Champions Trophy in the United Kingdom.

The 28-year-old reached 100 off a measured 133 deliveries – and became increasingly cavalier en route to 150 off a further 22. Particularly severe on seamers Rory Kleinveldt and Dane Paterson through the closing throes, he was earlier equally adept at negotiating the wile and guile of spinners Eddie Leie, George Linde and Dane Piedt.

Smuts cherished fruitful support from fellow opening batsman Gihahn Cloete, whose 70 from 75 laid a decent foundation for middle-order duo Colin Ingram and Colin Ackermann to capitalise. Ingram and Ackermann briskly moved to 20 and 23, respectively, but were unable to convert quick cameos into the longer-term substance enjoyed by Cloete and Smuts.

On loan from the bizhub Highveld Lions, legspinner Leie proved the pick of the bowlers. His telling haul of four for 56 included the important dismissals of Cloete, Ingram and Ackermann. Paterson, meanwhile, was the worst of the lot. He travelled for an expensive 83 runs across nine wicketless overs.

The Cobras’ reply was spearheaded by centurion Richard Levi, but ultimately lacked enough stamina to hearten a Newlands crowd dotted with disappointed Cape Town Cycle Tour participants, after the world-famous event was cancelled due to severe winds earlier in the day.

Levi hammered a 70-ball 106, lined with 14 fours and a trio of sixes, but his questionable decision to briefly retire hurt before returning to reach three figures proved detrimental to the collective cause.

His initial and final departure saw the home side collapse from a promising 128 for two to an irreparable 193 for eight – and finally 215 all out in 37.3 overs.

Like their opposition, the Warriors deployed three spin bowlers – and benefited, in particular, from the leg-breaks of former skipper Ingram (three for 53) – and seamer Ayabulela Gqamane’s two for 22.

Host captain Piedt, when all was said and done, was left to ponder his decision to field first after winning the toss. His choice wasn’t necessarily incorrect, but he would have hoped for a sub-220 target, not 300-plus.

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VON BERG, MARKRAM TAKE TITANS TO VICTORY

Aiden Markram’s second successive hundred and legspinner Shaun von Berg’s ten-wicket match-haul lifted the Titans to first place in the Sunfoil Series, as they defeated the Cape Cobras by an innings and 50 runs at Newlands in Cape Town.

Cobras were reduced to 74 for 4 in the first innings after Titans captain Henry Davids put them in. Stiaan van Zyl (65), who was dropped from the South Africa Test squad for the tour of Australia, stitched together a 92-run partnership with Justin Ontong (45) to stabilise the innings. However, they lost 3 for 8 in a span of 8.1 overs, to be reduced to 174 for 7. The tail then managed to drag the score to 235, before von Berg took his fifth wicket to bowl them out.

Markram lost his opening partner Heino Kuhn with only 33 on the board, but put on 122 for the second wicket with Grant Mokoena (59) and 75 for the fourth with Farhaan Behardien (79) as he secured the lead for his team, before falling for 139. Qaasim Adams’ 58-run partnership for the seventh wicket with David Wiese (31) took the Titans to 393 for 7 before a collapse resulted in them folding for 400. Dane Piedt and Rory Kleinveldt took three wickets each for the Cobras.

In the second innings, only four Cobras batsmen managed to get into double figures. Van Zyl (32*) and Ontong (20) once again briefly rescued the innings with a 42-run sixth-wicket stand after coming together at 44 for 5. Von Berg, who had Ontong caught by Wiese for the second time in the match, completed his five-wicket haul shortly after. Henry Davids took the last two wickets as Cobras slumped to their third loss this season.

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RAMELA PUTS SA A IN A COMMANDING POSITION

An unbeaten century by Omphile Ramela put South Africa A in a commanding position before Zimbabwe A fought back by the close of day two of the first four-day Test in Harare on Sunday.

The Cape Cobras Sunfoil Series captain made 101 (224 balls, 9 fours) to take the tourists to 455/6 declared, with the hosts then replying with 107/1 in the 45 overs they faced in reply.

Ramela’s eight career first-class ton was all about patience as it took nearly five and a half hours to amass.

Contrastingly, there was an excellent lower-order blitz by all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius, who fell 11 short of a century after smashing 89 (83 balls, 10 fours, 4 sixes).

Ramela and Pretorius put on 125 for the sixth wicket, with the latter falling to the pick of the bowlers, Shingirai Masakadza (3/83).

The two other wickets to fall in the South African innings on day two were that of Test duo Stiaan van Zyl for 73 (183 balls, 5 fours) and Dane Vilas (1).

When it was time for the South Africans to bowl, the visitors managed just the wicket of Tino Mawoyo (30) in the final hour – the opener dismissed by Dane Piedt (1/23).

Vernon Philander’s return in national colours failed to produce any wickets, but his nine overs came at a cost of just 15. The Proteas’ seamer is playing his first game for his country since sustaining an ankle injury in November.

Zimbabwe’s hero of the day was Brian Chari with his 71 not out (152 balls, 9 fours, 2 sixes) as they closed 348 runs behind.

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BOWLERS SET UP EASY COBRAS WIN

Beuran Hendricks led a splendid all-round bowling display as the Cape Cobras took a huge step towards the Momentum One-Day Cup final with a comprehensive six-wicket win over the bizhub Highveld Lions at Boland Park in Paarl on Sunday. The left-arm seamer claimed 3/18 to help the hosts dismiss their visitors for a paltry 133 all out in 40.3 overs.

There were also 2 wickets each for Dane Piedt (2/20), Dane Paterson (2/26) and Wayne Parnell (2/35). The hosts then cruised home with just 4 wickets down and 16.5 overs to spare, thanks to an unbeaten 63 off 86 balls from Andrew Puttick. Stiaan van Zyl made 35, but the real work had been even before the Cobras had gone out to bat with their bowlers firing.

All but one of the Lions batsmen struggled after they had lost the toss and were asked to bat first by home captain Justin Ontong.

The Johannesburg-based team were 3/1, 5/2 and then 7/3 with three of their key batsmen in Rassie van der Dussen (2), Alviro Petersen (2) and Temba Bavuma (0) gone for next to nothing on the scoreboard.

They failed to recover from that and when captain Stephen Cook (9) fell to make it 24/4, they were left scrapping. Dominic Hendricks top-scored with an unbeaten 44, while extras was joint next best with 15, along with three other players.

Defeat left the Lions in second place on 19 points and as the only side with a chance of overhauling the Cobras (29), who also claimed a bonus point. But they will need to win their remaining two games with bonus points and hope the Cape side lose their last two matches.

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STEPHEN COOK JOINS PROTEAS TEST SQUAD

Cricket South Africa (CSA) today added Stephen Cook to the Castle Lager Proteas squad for the final Sunfoil Test match against England, starting at SuperSport Park on Friday.

The bizhub Highveld Lions opening batsman currently tops the Sunfoil Series batting averages with 415 runs at an average of 83 including two centuries. If he does gain selection for the final XI he will part of the first ever father and son combination to represent the Proteas in a Test match.

His father, Jimmy, played in three Test matches against India and Sri Lanka between 1992 and 1993.

“Stephen has been in excellent form this season,” commented CSA Selection Convener, Linda Zondi, and gives us another option at the top of the order.”

Castle Lager Proteas Test squad: AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans, capt), Kyle Abbott (Sunfoil Dolphins), Hashim Amla (Cape Cobras), Temba Bavuma (bizhub Highveld Lions), Stephen Cook (bizhub Highveld Lions), Quinton de Kock (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Cape Cobras), Faf du Plessis (the Unlimited Titans), Dean Elgar (The Unlimited Titans), Morne Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Chris Morris (The Unlimited Titans), Dane Piedt (Cape Cobras), Kagiso Rabada (bizhub Highveld Lions), Rilee Rossouw (VKB Knights), Dale Steyn (Cape Cobras), Stiaan van Zyl (Cape Cobras), Hardus Viljoen (bizhub Highveldl Lions).

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