Tag: Quinton de Kock

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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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VAN DER DUSSEN IN FOR ODI DEBUT

Bizhub Highveld Lions batsman Rassie van der Dussen is in line for his ODI debut and seamer World Sports Betting Cape Cobras Dane Paterson has been recalled to South Africa’s 14-man squad for the first two ODIs against Pakistan to be played later this month. Van der Dussen scored a match-winning fifty on his T20I debut against Zimbabwe last year, but missed out on selection for South Africa’s limited-overs trip to Australia in November, while Paterson has not played for the Proteas in this format since his debut series against Bangladesh in 2017.

Hashim Amla, who missed the most recent series in Australia while he was recovering from a finger injury, also returns to the squad but JP Duminy and Lungi Ngidi were not considered as their rehabilitation to full fitness continues.

“We need to look at all the options available to us as we get closer to selecting our final squad for this year’s World Cup,” national selector Linda Zondi said. “Rassie and Dane are two players who have been knocking strongly on the door in all formats.”

After his bright T20I debut, van der Dussen continued to make headlines during the inaugural Mzansi Super League, during which he topped the run charts with 469 runs at a strike rate of 138.75 and played a vital role in Jozi Stars’ title-winning campaign. Paterson has also been there and thereabouts for a while, having played in the T20Is against Zimbabwe and been included as injury cover in the Test squad against Pakistan.

“Those players who went to Australia and have not been selected for the first two matches – Farhaan Behardien, Aiden Markram and Chris Morris – are by no means out of the picture and they may well get further opportunities in the second half of the series,” Zondi said.

“We are very happy with the way in which our Vision 2019 is taking shape. The series against Pakistan could not have come at a better time as they will provide a very stern test for the Proteas under conditions very similar to what we will experience at the World Cup.”

South Africa ODI squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen

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JOZI STARS BLAST CT BLITZ TO CLAIM FIRST MSL TROPHY

The Jozi Stars have claimed the inaugural Mzansi Super League, with the Gauteng based franchise easily taking the title with an 8 wicket win over the Cape Town Blitz at Newlands.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, the Blitz were in early trouble with Quinton de Kock back in the hut with the score on 6 in the second over.

Dawid Malan and Kyle Verreynne went about repairing the early damage with some cautious batting.

Malan then opened up against Duanne Olivier, striking him for a number of boundaries before the big paceman had his revenge, removing the Englishman for 17 to leave the Blitz at 28 for 2 after the powerplay overs.

Mohammad Nawaz (3) and Asif Ali (4) didn’t last long, falling to Dan Christian and Olivier respectively to leave the Blitz reeling at 48 for 4 in the 10th over.

They never recovered, regularly losing wickets to end on 113/7 after 20 overs with captain Farhaan Behardien top scoring with 23.

The pick of the Jozi Stars bowlers were Beuran Hendricks (2/11), Olivier (2/32) and Kagiso Rabada (1/16).

Although spinner Simon Harmer never picked up a wicket, his four overs only conceded 14 runs.

Dale Steyn struck early in the Jozi Stars innings, cleaning up Ryan Rickleton for 6 to leave the visitors on 13/1 in the third over.

That brought Rassie van der Dussen to join Reeza Hendricks and the Jozi Stars batting kingpins, after starting slowly in seeing off Dale Steyn, went about their business with great ease, guiding their side towards victory.

Hendricks (33) fell to Malusi Siboto with just 14 needed for victory but van der Dussen (59*) saw the Stars over the line for an emphatic victory.

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ZONDO & VAN WYK GUIDE HEAT CHASE

Fifties from Morne van Wyk and Khaya Zondo helped Durban Heat to a consolatory six-wicket win over Cape Town Blitz at a sunny Newlands on Sunday afternoon.

Durban Heat are already out of the running for a playoff position at the business end of the Mzansi Super League, and their opposition today were already assured of an automatic ticket to a home final next Sunday thanks to Jozi Stars’ loss earlier in the day, but a 79-run stand between van Wyk and Zondo allowed Heat to leave Cape Town with a win and their pride intact.

Chasing a challenging 161 for 6, Heat lost opener Sarel Erwee in the first over and an off-colour Hashim Amla just after the Powerplay, but van Wyk and Zondo soon brought their chase back on track. Van Wyk lead the way early on, bringing up a 42-ball fifty in the 14th over, but Zondo was also quickly into his stride.

Zondo whipped Malusi Siboto over cow corner for his first six in the 13th over and then flat-batted a full toss from medium pacer Ferisco Adams over extra cover to take the asking rate under 10. Van Wyk’s dismissal, pulling Dale Steyn into the hands of Sibonelo Makhanya at deep square leg to fall for 56 in the 16th over, tipped the balance once more, but Zondo responded in style.

Adams was dispatched for back-to-back sixes at the start of the 16th over – the first of which brought up Zondo’s 35-ball fifty, and David Miller then biffed Nandre Burger over wide long on to take the equation down to just five from the final over. Zondo top-edged the first ball of that last over, bowled by Siboto, to third man for four to level the scores, and though he fell straight afterwards aiming to end the game with a flourish, Miller tapped the winning single wide of mid-off to guide Heat home.

The total Heat were chasing was largely due to another adventurous innings from Quinton de Kock, who maintained his hot streak with the bat with an unbeaten 86 from 55 deliveries to power the Blitz innings. De Kock was not off to his usual flier – a probing first spell from Rashid Khan inside the Powerplay made sure of that – but he picked up momentum through the innings.

De Kock lost his opening partner Janneman Malan in the first over of the innings, bowled by Khan for his first duck in an otherwise remarkably consistent performance through this tournament, and with Dawid Malan also quickly undone by Kyle Abbott, Blitz ended the Powerplay at a modest 28 for 2.

Halfway through the innings, de Kock’s strike rate was well under a run a ball, but he found his groove against Tladi Bokako, taking 17 off his third over, and a brace of fours off Keshav Maharaj brought up his 34-ball fifty in the 13th over.

From that point onwards, de Kock shifted through the gears despite a committed effort with the ball from Heat, attacking the short boundary against Rashid with some audacious hitting. Reverse sweeps from consecutive deliveries in the 19th over, bowled by Rashid, both brought sixes and alongside Mohammad Nawaz he rattled through a 51-run, fifth-wicket stand from just 25 deliveries. Thanks to van Wyk and Zondo’s contributions, however, Heat did at least leave Cape Town with a win.

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BLITZ MAINTAIN UNBEATEN START TO MSL

The Cape Town Blitz continued to set the pace in the Mzansi Super League after strong performances by Janneman Malan and Dale Steyn helped them make it three wins from three thanks to a 12-run Duckworth/Lewis triumph over the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants in Cape Town on Wednesday.

After winning their first two matches under the leadership of Dawid Malan, Farhaan Behardien replaced the departed Briton but slotted in seamlessly as the hosts held off a strong challenge from the visitors at PPC Newlands.

Janneman Malan top-scored for the Blitz with 57 off 39 balls (10 fours, 1 six), while Steyn was outstanding with the ball on his way to figures of two for 21 in four overs.

In a match affected by a brief floodlight failure, the log leaders won the toss and batted first, amassing 175 for six in their 20 overs. With Dawid Malan missing at the top of the order, returning Standard Bank Proteas star Quinton de Kock – one of five debuting in the new competition – joined Janneman Malan and helped put on 41 for the first wicket, before falling to another new face, Imran Tahir (1/18), for six.

Andile Phehlukwayo (28), promoted up the order, helped Janneman Malan add 49 for the second wicket before he fell to Chris Morris (2/32).

Asif Ali, who destroyed the Durban Heat a few days earlier, then chipped in with 22 off 11 balls, while Behardien contributed 17 as the home side set 176 for victory.

The Giants lost key openers Marco Marais (2) and Jon-Jon Smuts (8) early, both to the pace of Steyn, before Ben Duckett (23) and top-scorer Heino Kuhn (55 off 35 balls, 7 fours, 1 six) began to drag them back into the game.

Their partnership was disrupted by a brief floodlight delay just before their team could cross 50, prompting four overs to be lost and the target revised to 145. Needing to score at around 14 to the over, the pair shift gears, and after Duckett fell, Kuhn looked set to pick up the baton.

But he was unfortunately run out when Malusi Siboto deflected a Christiaan Jonker shot onto the stumps, which seemingly proved critical – prior to his dismissal the equation was reduced to 43 off 20 balls.

And with the pressure of the scoreboard building, the Giants folded to end on 132 for six for a first loss of the campaign.

Hussain Talat was the other double wicket bowler for the Blitz, with the debutant Pakistani claiming two for seven in his solo 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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CAREER-BEST MORNE SPEARHEADS HUGE WIN FOR PROTEAS AND 2-1 SERIES LEAD

Morne Morkel came agonisingly close to his first ever 10-wicket haul as he spearheaded the Standard Bank Proteas to their second successive four-day victory over Australia at PPC Newlands on Sunday.

He took 5/23, including two wickets off successive balls, to go with his 4/87 in the first innings to give him a career-best 9/110 in the match. It was the first time he had taken 9 wickets in a Test match. He was named Sunfoil Man of the Match.

He was instrumental in Australia’s second innings collapse that saw them lose all 10 wickets for 50 runs after an opening stand of 57 between David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

The Australians had been set an improbable world record of 430 for victory following second innings half-centuries by Quinton de Kock (65 off 97 balls, 8 fours and a six) and Vernon Philander 952 not out off 79 balls, 6 fours and a six). It meant that the Proteas followed their 199 for the last four wickets in the previous Test in Port Elizabeth with 173 for the last 5 wickets this time out.

The Proteas margin of victory of 322 runs was their second largest in terms of runs margin being beaten only by the 323-runs margin in the last pre-unity series in 1970.

The Australia collapse was started by a direct hit run out by Faf du Plessis which saw the bowlers receive excellent back-up in the field. AB de Villiers and Aiden Markram both took superb catches close to the wicket while Temba Bavuma was also responsible for a run out.

While Morkel deserved the bowling plaudits there was also a fine contribution from Keshav Maharaj who, like Morkel, stood on the brink of a hat trick at one stage.

The Proteas now head to the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium for the final Sunfoil Test of the series with a 2-1 lead and the chance to score their first home series victory over Australia since unity.

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PROTEAS COMPLETE COMFORTABLE ODI SERIES CLEAN SWEEP

The Standard Bank Proteas wrapped up the Momentum ODI Series with a 200-run victory over Bangladesh in the final match at Buffalo Park in East London on Sunday. The 3-0 series victory gives them the No. 1 ICC ranking in this format for the time being.

Today’s victory was marred by the lower back injury suffered by captain Faf du Plessis, who was unbeaten on 91 at the time (67 balls, 10 fours and a six), having shared a third wicket record partnership against Bangladesh of 151 with new cap Aiden Markram.

It was all that was going to stop the South African captain recording his 9th hundred in this format. At the other end of the scale Markram looked as though he had a maiden century for the taking (66 off 60 balls, 4 fours and 2 sixes) before he ran himself out attempting a second run. By a quirk of fate he was also deprived of a Test century on debut by a run out.

Du Plessis has been ruled out of the KFC T20 International series next week with JP Duminy taking over the captaincy and Dwaine Pretorius coming in as a replacement player. AB de Villiers took up the captaincy for the balance of today’s match.

Bangladesh again paid the price for not being able to take wickets up front and not being able to get a good start themselves. The absence of Hashim Amla made little difference as Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma shared an opening stand of 119 that set up the Proteas for their best total against Bangladesh of 369/6 and they only lost 12 wickets in the entire series.

When Bangladesh batted they lost their first three wickets inside 6 overs to Kagiso Rabada and Dane Paterson and that was virtually the end of the contest. Paterson went on to finish with career best figures of 3/44 while the two new caps, Markram and Wiaan Mulder, took 3 wickets between them.

De Kock, Amla and De Villiers made almost 600 runs between them in the series with De Kock being named Momentum Man of the Series and Du Plessis Man of today’s match.

The presence of Bavuma, Markram (who took an outstanding slip catch) and Mulder certainly added youthful energy to the Proteas fielding effort.

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ELGAR AND BAVUMA KEEP ENGLAND AT BAY

Dean Elgar  was battered, bruised but unbowed but he and Temba Bavuma guided the Standard Bank Proteas to the less stormy waters of the close of play on the fourth day of the third Test match at The Oval in London on Sunday.

England nevertheless held an overwhelming advantage as they reduced the Proteas to 117/4 in pursuit of a victory target 492 from an initial 148 overs. Victory will give England a 2-1 lead in the series and will mean that they retain the Basil d’Oliveira Trophy.

At one stage it looked as though England would win the match on the fourth day after Ben Stokes back up his century in the first innings by dismissing Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis off successive balls with Bavuma coming to the crease on a hat trick.

But Bavuma, as he has had to do too often in the past, proved to be the right man to stabilize the innings in partnership with Elgar. By the close of play they had shared an unbroken stand of 65 for the fifth wicket with Elgar on 72 (111 balls, 11 fours) and Bavuma on 16 (59 balls, 1 four).

Elgar got hit on the hand several times and also on different parts of his body and, if he does go on to complete his 8th Test century, he will have earned it the hard day. This is his third half-century of the series and he has been far and away the most consistent batsman for his team. He was clearly in significant distress and many of his strokes were played almost one-handed.

He and Bavuma are certainly the best men on current form for the crisis in which the Proteas find themselves and it does pose the question as to whether Bavuma should be moved up the order for the final Test match at Old Trafford, starting on Friday.

The Proteas did a reasonable bowling job on the fourth day with Keshav Maharaj chipping away at the middle-order to take three wickets (3/50 in 13.5 overs) but the damage had already been done when England claimed a lead of 178 on the first innings and their position was consolidated by Tom Westley (59 off 141 balls, 11 fours), Joe Root (50 off 94 balls, 6 fours) and Jonny Bairstow (63 off 58 balls, 6 fours and a six).

Stokes was the pick of the England attack when it came to their turn to bowl (2/29 in an eight-over spell) but all the England bowlers proved hard to handle and the key fact is that they have been more successful than their Proteas counterparts in putting the ball in the right spot consistently.

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RABADA TOPS ODI BOWLING RANKINGS

Kagiso Rabada, South Africa’s 22-year-old pace sensation, has leapfrogged team-mate, Imran Tahir, to become the No. 1 ODI bowler in the world. The top-two one-day bowlers aside, South Africa go into the ICC Champions Trophy with four of the top-ten batsmen in the format as well, as per the latest update to the ICC rankings. AB de Villiers leads the charts, while Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla complete the quartet.

Rabada climbed four spots following the three-match ODI series against England, in which he was the leading wicket-taker with seven wickets at 21.71 – including 4 for 39 in the third game, which helped reduce England to 20 for 6 – and an economy rate of 5.42. Overall in 36 ODI innings since his debut in July 2015, he has 64 wickets at 24.90 and an economy rate of 5.13.

Amla and de Kock were the second and third top scorers in the series, and both move up in the rankings – de Kock from No. 6 to No. 4, and Amla from eleven to ten. De Villiers retained the No. 1 spot, while du Plessis and Tahir lost some ground on the table, falling to No. 2 and No. 6 respectively.

Top-10 ODI batsmen
1 AB de Villiers, 2 David Warner, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Quinton de Kock, 5 Joe Root, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Babar Azam and Martin Guptill, 9 Kane Williamson, 10 Hashim Amla

Top-10 ODI bowlers
1 Kagiso Rabada, 2 Imran Tahir, 3 Mitchell Starc, 4 Sunil Narine, 5 Josh Hazlewood, 6 Trent Boult, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Mohammad Nabi, 9 Shakib Al Hasan, 10 Mitchell Santner

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PROTEAS WIN FINAL ENGLAND ODI

Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell cut a swathe through the England top order, taking 6/20 between them in the first five overs, as the Standard Bank Proteas coasted to a seven-wicket victory in the final match of their ODI Series at Lord’s on Monday.

It came too late to affect the outcome of the series which England won 2-1 but the visitors made an important statement ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy tournament with their opening match against Sri Lanka at The Oval on Saturday.

The other teams in their Pool are India and Pakistan.

Rabada, on his first international visit to Lord’s, had figures of 4/39 while Parnell took 3/43, the other three wickets falling to Keshav Maharaj.

What will have pleased the Proteas most, was their improved fielding with Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis – his first one was a special effort – taking two catches each in the slips at the height of the new ball onslaught on a surface that provided assistance to the seamers throughout the match.

Parnell also swung the ball effectively and his two wickets up front of Joe Root and Eoin Morgan were particularly important ones.

The recalled Jonny Bairstow stabilised the England innings with 51 before he walked down the pitch to Maharaj and was stumped by Quinton de Kock by a distance.

England’s total of 153 in 31.1 overs – the match in total only last 60 overs – was well short of par and that became evident when De Kock and Hashim Amla sharing an opening stand of 95 – easily the highest of the match. In the process Amla completed 7 000 ODI runs when he reached 23 and once again was easily the fastest to his latest landmark.

AB de Villiers, who completed the series by winning all three tosses, also achieved a landmark of 100 ODI captaincies and he and JP Duminy completed the facile victory.

Rain threatened throughout the day and the weather must be a concern for all the Champions Trophy participants. It is a very short tournament and no side will be able to afford a washout. Australia’s warm-up match against Pakistan only lasted a handful of overs and South Africa A again were only able to bat half an innings in their second warm-up match against Derbyshire.

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DE KOCK TURNS IN ANOTHER FIVE-STAR PERFORMANCE

Quinton de Kock  matched the previous performances of superstars Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers when he was named South African Cricketer of the Year and in all received a total of five awards at a glittering Cricket South Africa (CSA) awards function in Kyalami on Saturday evening.

Only Kagiso Rababa has done better with his six CSA awards last year. The other nine players to have received CSA’s most prestigious award are Jacques Kallis (2004 and 2011), Makhaya Ntini (2005 and 2006), Hashim Amla (2010 and 2013) and AB de Villiers (2014 and 2015) who have all won the award twice with the other previous winners being Shaun Pollock (2007), Dale Steyn (2008), Graeme Smith (2009), Vernon Philander (2012) and Rabada (2016).

In addition to the main award, De Kock was named Standard Bank Test Cricketer of the Year and Standard Bank ODI Cricketer of the Year, was honoured by his peers by being named SA Players’ Player of the Year and by the fans on being named SA Fans Player of the Year.

De Kock did, in fact, receive a sixth award which was for being named the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year.

His statistics for the year were remarkable, highlighted by his ODI innings of 178 against Australia in a series that saw him score 300 runs at an average of exactly 60 and a strike rate in excess of 137. His Test match performances were notable for his ability to score big runs when needed and to take the game away from the opposition.

In addition, the quality of his glove work was brilliant.

The only awards he did not win for which he was eligible were the Standard Bank T20 International Player of the Year award that went to Imran Tahir for the second year in a row and the KFC Award of Excellence that went to Temba Bavuma, again for the second successive year, for his brilliant run out of David Warner.

De Kock obviously was not a contender for RAM Delivery of the Year and that again went to Kagiso Rabada for his delivery that bowled Usman Khawaja at Perth.

Sune Luus was named SA Women’s Cricketer of the Year while Lizelle Lee was named SA Women’s Players Player of the Year.

The International Newcomer of the Year awards went to Keshav Maharaj and Laura Wolvaardt.

“Simply outstanding! What a year Quinton has had,” commented CSA Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat. “He has shown the maturity of a seasoned campaigner with performances that have really counted when needed most, often blowing away the opposition in the process.

“It is encouraging that for the second time in a row our premier award has gone to one of our young stars who are shining with distinction alongside our world-class senior players.

“The way the Proteas have come through to rise up the ICC rankings in meteoric fashion has been quite brilliant and we now have a real team in the true sense of the word.

“Our domestic cricket remains blessed with great talents and congratulations to all the winners in those categories as well.

“I warmly congratulate all our winners, both at the international and domestic level, and I also wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge our umpires, grounds staff and scorers, too.”

The Multiply Titans were once again the biggest winners in the Professional Awards: Domestic category. Duanne Olivier of the VKB Knights was named Sunfoil Series Cricketer of the Year but for the rest it was the Titans nearly all the way well with Mark Boucher being named Pitchvision Coach of the Year, Farhaan Behardien CSA T20 Challenge Player of the Year, Henry Davids Momentum One-day Cup Cricketer of the Year, and Aiden Markram Domestic Newcomer of the Year. In addition, the Titans won the CSA Fair Play Award.

Colin Ackermann of the Warriors did the double of Domestic Players Player of the season and the SACA Most Valuable Player award.

Shaun George was named both CSA Umpire of the Year and CSA Umpires Umpire of the Year while there was a proud moment when Marais Erasmus received the David Shepherd Trophy as the ICC Umpire of the Year.

The Africa Cup T20 Player of the tournament went to Patrick Kruger of Northern Cape while PPC Newlands-based Evan Flint was named groundsman of the year

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CSA ANNOUNCE ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY SQUAD

Left-arm spinner, Keshav Maharaj, has earned his maiden One-Day International (ODI) call-up to the 15-man Standard Bank Proteas squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, which was announced on Wednesday.

The squad will play three ODI’s against England starting with the first match at Headingley in Leeds on May 24th, before their first group match of the ICC Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka at the Oval on June 3.

The 26-year-old Maharaj has had an impressive debut season for the Test squad and comes into the squad to bolster the spin options alongside Imran Tahir.

Morne Morkel makes a return to the limited-overs format after nearly 10 months, adding experience to the pace bowling group featuring Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) convener of selectors, Linda Zondi, says the selectors have picked a strong squad which covers all of the combinations and conditions on offer for the eighth edition of the eight-team event. “We have been working with this group of players for the last two seasons where our key emphasis has been consistency in selection,” Zondi commented. “That has shown in how this group has performed over the last while, which has resulted in winning three consecutive ODI series.

“We feel we have a squad that covers every scenario that we could possibly be faced with on the tour. Most importantly, every player knows and understands their role and value within the squad.

“Keshav has had an exceptional debut season for the Test side and his inclusion in the squad gives us a spinner with different skills and extra batting depth. We have seen how important it is to bat deep in ODI cricket, this option will give us that cover if needed.” 

The squad will depart for England on May 16 and will begin their preparations with two 50-over tour matches against Sussex and Northants.
Standard Bank Proteas ODI squad for three-match ODI series against England and ICC Champions Trophy: Hashim Amla (BuildNat Cape Cobras), Quinton de Kock – wk (Multiply Titans), Faf du Plessis (Multiply Titans), AB de Villiers – captain (Multiply Titans), JP Duminy (BuildNat Cape Cobras), David Miller (VKB Knights), Chris Morris (Multiply Titans),  Wayne Parnell (BuildNat Cape Cobras), Andile Phehlukwayo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Kagiso Rabada (bizhub Highveld Lions), Imran Tahir (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Dwaine Pretorius (bizhub Highveld Lions), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Farhaan Behardien (Multiply Titans), Morne Morkel (Multiply Titans).

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PROTEAS WIN SERIES AFTER RAIN WASHES OUT FINAL DAY’S PLAY

Rain was the winner on the final day of the Standard Bank Proteas’ international season as an abandoned final day of the third Test against New Zealand meant they finished with a draw at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday.

The result also ensured South Africa won the series 1-0 thanks to their eight-wicket win in the second Test in Wellington, while it ended a dream summer – they won every series – in second place on the ICC rankings, having started it in seventh back in August last year.

But it was a disappointing end to the tour for the Black Caps after they held all the aces heading into day five, only to be denied by the weather.

Over 50 mm of rain reportedly fell in the period between stumps on day four and lunch on day five, starting with heavy overnight downpours that left the ground drenched.

Despite the rain stopping for periods, it seemed to return each time the mop-up operation was underway, leaving umpires Bruce Oxenford and Rod Tucker with little choice but to call off proceedings.

The Proteas had their backs to the wall going into the last day on 80/5 in their second innings and still trailing by 95 runs. All hope rested on captain Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock, both on 15, but they were not required to continue their innings.

 

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PROTEAS GO 4-0 UP BUT THARANGA TAKES MATCH TO THE WIRE

Faf du Plessis played one of the innings of his life and then had to watch helplessly as Sri Lanka’s acting captain, Upul Tharanga, almost stole his thunder in a memorable fourth Momentum ODI at PPC Newlands on Thursday.

In the end the Standard Bank Proteas achieved what looked like a clear-cut win by 40 runs to go 4-0 up in the series and extend their winning home run to 13 matches but it was anything but that. Sri Lanka were right in the game until the start of the 44th over when Kagiso Rabada, as he has often done in his brief career, broke the menacing fifth wicket partnership of 79 runs between Sandun Weerakkody and Asela Gunaratne that sparked an astonishing collapse that saw Sri Lanka lose their last 6 wickets for 20 runs off 27 balls.

Earlier in the day Du Plessis had made the second highest score ever by a Proteas of 185 (141 balls, 16 fours and 3 sixes) – only Gary Kirsten has done better with his 188 against the United Arab Emirates at the 1996 World Cup – to set Sri Lanka what seemed an impossible victory target of 368, bearing in mind they had been unable to score even 200 in the preceding three matches.

Du Plessis became the 9th Protea to make a score of 150 or better although there have been 12 instances in all with Hashim Amla having achieved the feat 3 times and Herschelle Gibbs twice. Remarkably, all of the top five Protea batsmen in the current first-choice XI – Amla, Quinton de Kock, Du Plessis, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy – have now achieved this feat.

The Proteas’ total was also the highest ever at PPC Newlands and meant that they had made totals of 300 plus in back-to-back games at this venue this season. They had previously made 327/8 against Australia in the famous whitewash series last year.

If the Proteas thought they were as good as home at the halfway stage, Tharanga certainly had other ideas. He took the lead with his consistent partner, Niroshan Dickwella, in putting on exactly 100 in the 10 power play overs with 13 fours and 4 sixes. This compared with the 59/1 the Proteas had managed at the same stage. He went on to finish with 119 (90 balls, 11 fours and 7 sixes). He and Du Plessis finished with almost identical strike rates.

Tharanga is no stranger to this sort of performance. He and the legendary Sanath Jayasuriya put on 286 in 32 overs for the first wicket against England at Headingley in 2006 and then he and Mahela Jayawardene added 213 in 38.4 overs for the first wicket against India in 2013. On the former occasion the pair posted 133 in the first 10 overs!

The Sri Lankans stayed miles ahead of the required run rate and De Villiers had to turn to Wayne Parnell for his get out of jail card. The latter made a concerted short ball attack to remove both the No.3, Kusal Mendis, and Tharanga in the space of three deliveries in a spell of 2/8 in 3 overs and he was then backed up by Rabada with 1/19 in his three that included a dropped catch that went for tour.

It was clearly going to boil down to which side held their nerve better and it appeared to be going Sri Lanka’s way when the Proteas dropped another catch in the deep to prolong the fifth wicket partnership even further.

But the match turned back the Proteas’ way when Rabada struck, Imran Tahir got two wickets in his last over, Dwaine Pretorius also got one and then Parnell cleaned up the tail to finish with the figures of 4/58 that were highly impressive in the circumstances.

It was statistically at least one of the great games played at Newlands in this format and victory here would have meant more to Sri Lanka than their success in the T20 Series. They lifted their game to a new level against what was to all intents and purposes a full strength Proteas line-up.

Du Plessis was named Momentum Man of the Match but it was an evening when it could easily have been shared.

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RABADA TAKES TEN TO HAD PROTEAS NEWLANDS VICTORY

South Africa took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the Test series by claiming the last six wickets before lunch on the fourth morning at Newlands as Sri Lanka continued their ill-disciplined ways, a Test side irredeemably trapped in limited-overs mode. On the evidence of their tour of England last summer, and now here, in a changing cricketing world their appetite for the Test game cannot entirely be taken for granted.

The chief beneficiary of Sri Lanka’s faulty mind-set was fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who took four more wickets to finish with 6 for 55 and ten in the match for next to nothing.

Rabada’s graceful fast bowling has been one of the delights of the past year. That said, he is too talented and level headed to become over-excited about the praise that will fall upon him. A gentle shake of the head at a gimme wicket after Dinesh Chandimal chipped a stray delivery to square leg served as the perfect image of a morning when several gifts were bestowed upon him. His realism did him great credit.

Sri Lanka had anticipated a possible Test return to South Africa next year, but suggestions are growing that they might be jilted in favour of India. A 206-run win in Port Elizabeth has been followed by a 282-run margin in Cape Town. Big countries like to win; they also like to feel they have been in a fight.

Far from being a surface that was unfairly doctored to home team demands, this Newlands pitch possessed enough pace and bounce to provide captivating cricket and reward good batsmen and bowlers alike. Vibrant cricket is interesting cricket. Concentration needed other companions, not least cricketing nous and bloody-mindedness. Sri Lanka, overly given to limited-overs habits, were not up to it.

Rabada has looked a grand fast bowler in the making ever since he made his mark in Test cricket in South Africa’s home series against England, his action smooth, his development fast and his demeanour underlining that successful fast bowling does not necessarily have to come with glares and curses.

Sri Lanka, resuming on 130 for 4, retained three specialist batsmen as they sought to delay South Africa’s victory. All tossed their wickets aside like picture cards on top of a trump. Within 40 minutes, Rabada had dismissed not only Chandimal, but Upul Tharanga and the captain Angelo Mathews.

If anybody still wondered why Tharanga, a one-day opener, is carded in a Test to follow a group of ingénues and bat at No 7, his innings provided the answer. Met by a posse of close fielders, Tharanga struck three of his first balls for four with the air of a man who had no intention of hanging around. His downfall came in Rabada’s next over when he cut at a wide one which did not get up and under-edged to the keeper.

Rabada’s next two wickets did have intrinsic worth. Mathews’ attempt to drive a back-of-a-length ball of the back foot was exposed by challenging pace and bounce. And the dismissal of Suranga Lakmal was excellent: two hostile short balls in a row, the first of them fended uncertainly to short leg, the second deflecting off the glove to the wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock. Even then, with four wickets in a spell, Rabada’s response was gentle.

Amid all this mayhem, Kyle Abbott’s final Test could hardly have been more commonplace. Abbott pounded a challenging line, but to no avail: wicketless in the match.

Rangana Herath collected an unbeaten 35 while South Africa awaited the kill. It came with de Kock’s stumping of Lahiru Kumara as he made room to drive Keshav Maharaj through the off side and, finally, the splaying of Nuwan Pradeep’s stumps by Vernon Philander. And Johannesburg is next, the most demanding test of all

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VANDIAR, SIBOTO NEW ARRIVALS AT TITANS

Malusi Siboto and Jonathan Vandiar will wear the colours of The Unlimited Titans in the 2016/17 season.

The pair join from the VKB Knights and Sunfoil Dolphins respectively, while Daniel Sincuba also switches from KwaZulu-Natal to the Easterns Titans franchise.

Seam bowler Siboto, 28, has grown in leaps and bounds since his Knights debut in the 2011/12 season.

Despite a lengthy injury lay-off, the right-armer was a key part of the team for the Central Franchise last season. Siboto has over 150 first-class wickets and more than 100 in the limited-over formats. He will be joined by two former Dolphins players at the Titans.

One is batsman Jonathan Vandiar, who previously played in Gauteng with the bizhub Highveld Lions. The 26-year-old spent a few seasons at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, but failed to stake a regular place in the team.

Sincuba, also a batsman, is a franchise cricket rookie having played seven matches for the Dolphins since his debut in 2014/15.

The Titans also boast the most number of nationally contracted player with six in total. They are Test and One-Day international captain AB De Villiers, T20 skipper Faf Du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Farhaan Behardien, Morne Morkel and Quinton De Kock.

Titans squad: Qaasim Adams, Junior Dala, Henry Davids, Morne Morkel, Heinrich Klaasen, Heino Kuhn, Farhaan Behardien, Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Grant Mokoena, Albie Morkel, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, AB de Villiers, Tabraiz Shamzi, Malusi Siboto, Daniel Sincuba, Grant Thomson, Shaun von Berg, David Weise, Quinton de Kock, Rowan Richards, Jonathan Vandiar, Faf du Plessis.

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SHAMZI NAMED IN PROTEAS ODI SQUAD

 

Tabraiz Shamsi today was named as a new cap in the Proteas ODI squad for the triangular series in the Caribbean next month against hosts, the West Indies, and Australia.

The Unlimited Titans 26-year-old left-arm wrist spinner will become the 116th player to represent the Proteas in the 50 overs format.

“We have opted for three specialist spinners as we anticipate the pitches in the Caribbean to be on the slow side,” commented CSA selection committee convener, Linda Zondi. “Tabraiz has certainly earned his call-up following outstanding form both in our domestic cricket and in some of the major domestic T20 leagues including the Caribbean Premier League.

“He has shown what he can do in the T20 leagues against international batsmen. I am quite excited about the state of our spin bowling and the variety we have. We are sending two wrist spinners to the Caribbean plus left-arm and right-arm finger spin options. Spin bowling is becoming an increasingly important part of both limited overs formats and we are only just over a year away from the ICC Champions Trophy Tournament in England.

“In the short term our immediate focus must be to get back among the top ranked Test nations and for this reason we are resting Dale Steyn for this tour. He is vital to our ambitions in the longest format and he is going to have a heavy workload in the months ahead with home and away series against New Zealand, a home series against Sri Lanka and an away Test series in Australia which is where we need to perform,” explained Zondi. “He is certainly not out of the ODI picture and could well feature in the home series against Australia later this year.”

Wayne Parnell returns to the Proteas ODI squad for the first time since last year’s ICC World Cup in Australasia. “Wayne has the ability to become a quality all-rounder for us and, like Tabraiz, he is being rewarded for outstanding domestic form,” concluded Zondi.

Faf du Plessis has been included in the squad despite the current injury to his finger, and is expected to return to action for the Proteas’ second match of the triangular series. Proteas team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee explained:

“Faf sustained a broken left ring finger during the IPL two weeks ago and had fixation surgery to repair the bone tip this Tuesday in Cape Town. The surgery was a success and we are expecting a period of between four to five weeks for a full recovery. At this stage we are targeting for him to return to action for our second ODI against Australia on June 7.”

Proteas ODI squad: AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans, capt), Kyle Abbott (Warriors), Hashim Amla (Cape Cobras), Farhaan Behardien (The Unlimited Titans), Quinton de Kock (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Cape Cobras), Faf du Plessis (The Unlimited Titans), Imran Tahir (Sunfoil Dolphins), Morne Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Chris Morris (The Unlimited Titans), Wayne Parnell (Cape Cobras), Aaron Phangiso (bizhub Highveld Lions), Kagiso Rabada (bizhub Highveld Lions), Rilee Rossouw (VKB Knights), Tabraiz Shamsi (The Unlimited Titans).

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DE KOCK, AMLA SET UP PROTEAS WIN

 

Hashim Amla scored his 22nd ODI century and Quinton de Kock his 10th to set the Castle Lager Proteas up for a five-wicket victory over England and keep the series alive in the third Momentum ODI at SuperSport Park on Tuesday.

England still lead the series 2-1 as the two teams head for the fourth ODI at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on Friday. Should the Proteas win this match then the two teams will go to a decider in the fifth match at PPC Newlands on Sunday.

England got themselves into a strong position by posting a total of 318/8 in their 50 overs thanks in the main to a ninth ODI century from Joe Root (125 off 113 balls, 10 fours and 5 sixes).

But Amla (127 off 130 balls, 13 fours and 2 sixes) and De Kock (135 off 117 balls, 16 fours and 4 sixes) always had the chase under control with a partnership of 239 in 36.5 overs which was only eight runs short of the South African first-wicket record.

De Kock now has an incredible conversion record of 10 centuries as against 5 half-centuries. Amla has now achieved the performance of going past 50 on at least 50 occasions with 22 centuries and 28 50s. Kyle Abbott had the best figures of the match with 2/50 while Adil Rashid (1/45) had the most economical figures of the game.

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ENGLAND GO ONE UP IN ODI SERIES

Quinton de Kock played arguably the best knock by a South African opening batsman in an ODI since Herschelle Gibbs’ 175 in the famous 438 match but it was not enough to get the Castle Lager Proteas across the line in the opening Momentum ODI against England at the Mangaung Oval on Wednesday.

England won by 39 runs on the D/L method after rain stopped play with the Proteas on 250/5 in 33.3 overs in pursuit of the massive victory target of 400 after England had posted 399/9 in their 50 overs.

De Kock finished unbeaten on 138 (96 balls, 12 fours and 6 sixes) for his ninth ODI century in a match that was made memorable by the wicketkeepers on either side. Jos Buttler had played a major role in setting up the England total with his innings of 105 (76 balls, 11 fours and 5 sixes). Buttler finished with a strike rate of 138 and De Kock with one of 143. De Kock reached the landmark of 2 000 ODI runs and is the youngest South African to do so.

England won the toss and dominated the South African attack from ball one with Alex Hales, Joe Root and Ben Stokes all scoring half-centuries in support of Buttler.

When South Africa batted, De Kock and Faf du Plessis get the Proteas in the chase with a second-wicket partnership of 110 in 13.5 overs. But Moeen Ali played a key role for England in a high-scoring match by taking 3/43 in 6 overs. His wickets included the key one of AB de Villiers who fell to a brilliant one-handed boundary catch by Stokes.

De Kock was named Momentum Man of the Match.

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MORRIS SENDS DOLPHINS PLUMMETING TO DEFEAT

Chris Morris  consigned the Sunfoil Dolphins to their lowest ever Twenty20 total as The Unlimited Titans shot to the top of the RAM SLAM T20 table with a comprehensive victory at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead.

 

The Titans looked to have fallen short of a good total when they were limited to 136 for nine on a slow Durban wicket, but Morris returned figures of 4 for 9 in three overs as the Dolphins were rolled for 70 to give the visitors a bonus point.

 

While the droughts around the country have led to drier pitches that have aided spin in the competition, that trend changed on Wednesday as the pacemen found a surface to their liking.

 

The short ball claimed a handful of victims on either side, while the yorker also proved a deadly weapon.

 

With most batsmen failing to deal with the change, Quinton de Kock’s 38 at the top of the Titans order made all the difference in the end, even with Ryan McLaren using the conditions wisely to bounce out Albie Morkel and york David Wiese and finish with figures of 3 for 28.

 

Six of the Titans top seven reached double figures without going any further, a statistic that appeared glum at the innings break but then looked like a luxury at the end of the game.

 

The Dolphins batting line-up had been powerful in the first half of the competition but there was a suspicion it was being held together by Kevin Pietersen, and so it proved in the first game after the Englishman’s departure.

 

David Miller (12) and Dwayne Bravo (27) were the only players to reach double figures, as Morris claimed two wickets up front and two later on.

 

With Morkel (2 for 14 in four overs) and Junior Dala (2 for 13 in 2.4 overs) also chipping in – the former using the short ball to good effect and the latter bowling fuller – the Dolphins were bowled out in just 15.4 overs, finishing short of their previous lowest total, which was the 82 they made against the Knights at the same venue last season.

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BEHARDIEN PUTS TITANS IN CHARGE

Farhaan Behardien’s brisk half-century guided The Unlimited Titans out of a sticky situation and took them to a 26-run victory over the Cape Cobras in Sunday’s RAM SLAM T20 clash at SuperSport Park.

Behardien smashed an unbeaten 61 from just 31 balls in an innings that stood head and shoulders above any other on the surface, allowing the Titans to post 173 for five.

Its quality became increasingly apparent as the Cobras failed to generate any momentum in their reply, which ultimately finished on 147 for six.

The victory left the Titans second on the table with eight points from three games, but it didn’t always look as though it would come as easily as the final margin suggested.

High on confidence after his heroics at the death against the Warriors in Paarl on Friday, Dane Paterson (3 for 31) grabbed the early wickets of Henry Davids and Grant Mokoena to leave the Titans 22 for two.

Behardien then saw the Titans slip to 74 for four just moments after he came to the crease, with Justin Ontong snuffing out a promising stand between Quinton de Kock (34) and Graeme van Buuren (27) when he removed both batsmen in the space of four deliveries.

Behardien put the innings back on track in a 52-run stand with Qaasim Adams (27 off 19 balls), and then made sure that it finished with a bang by taking 26 from the last two overs along with Albie Morkel.

The Titans opened the bowling with Graeme van Buuren in a move that paid off – the spinner allowed just two runs in his opening over and finished with none for 15 in four overs – but a key moment came when Chris Morris won his tussle with Richard Levi.

After being hit for four and then six by Levi, Morris had the last laugh when he ended the second over by having him caught.

Although Andrew Puttick (27) and Keegan Petersen (27) kept the innings ticking over, they weren’t able to inject the level of urgency required before Puttick was trapped lbw by Ruben Claassen.

Fresh from his exploits with Assupol TUKS in the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals, the 22-year-old off-spinner went on to grab the wicket of top-scorer Omphile Ramela (38) and finish with figures of 2 for 34 on his franchise debut.

With Albie Morkel and Morris also finishing with two wickets apiece and Van Buuren restricting the Cobras, the visitors’ chase petered out to leave them with just one win from their three matches to date.

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PROTEAS TAKE THE LEAD IN INDIA

Morne Morkel took 3 wickets in 4 balls and Quinton de Kock scored his seventh ODI century as the Castle Lager Proteas beat India by 18 runs at Rajkot on Sunday to establish a 2-1 lead in the Freedom Series with two matches still to be played.

 

Morkel is now the leading wicket-taker in the series with 7 dismissals and he has played a pivotal role in the Proteas bowling strategy of using short-pitched bowling on slow-paced pitches to stop the Indian run chases.

 

Today’s match was a typical example with India needing 123 runs off the last 20 overs with 8 wickets in hand to achieve victory – normally this would be considered a straight forward target. But the Proteas bowled superbly between overs 30 and 40 when Imran Tahir conceded only 9 runs in 4 overs in support of Morkel and Kagiso Rabada.

 

India, in fact, played no fewer than 35 dot balls during this period and then Morkel stepped up the pressure when he had MS Dhoni caught at backward point in a one-over spell going into the last 10 overs.

 

He came back later to dismiss Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane with successive deliveries in his next over to leave India with a required run rate of 10 to the over with no specialist batsman left at the crease.

 

It left Dale Steyn with a very comfortable 32 runs to defend in the last over. Morkel finished with the outstanding figures of 4/38 – his best ever figures against India – to be named Man of the Match while the two spinners, Imran and JP Duminy, took the other two wickets to fall.

 

India had three good partnerships at the start of their innings – 41 for the first wicket between Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma (65 off 74 balls, 7 fours and 2 sixes), 72 for the second between Sharma and Kohli (77 off 99 balls, 5 fours) and 80 for the third between Kohli and Dhoni (47 off 61, 5 fours) – but they were unable to match the century partnership that De Kock and Faf du Plessis (118 in 21 overs) put together that ultimately made the difference.

 

De Kock, playing in his 50th ODI, made his fourth century against India (103 off 118 balls, 11 fours and a six) in only his 7th match against these opponents and thus equalled the South African record for the most centuries against India that was equalled by AB de Villiers earlier in the series and originally established by Gary Kirsten.

 

Du Plessis contributed 60 off 63 balls, 6 fours).

 

De Kock suffered from dehydration in the extreme climatic conditions and De Villiers had to stand in for him behind the stumps for the first 30 overs of the Indian innings.

 

De Villiers again handled his attack superbly and it has been pleasing to see the way the Proteas have done the unexpected throughout the series with Imran opening the bowling in the one match, Farhaan Behardien, who again made an invaluable contribution with the bat, being used in the first power play in the same match, and David Miller opening the batting today.

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Miller and De Kock awarded National Contracts

THE Board of Directors of Cricket South Africa (CSA) approved the names of the 17 players proposed by the selection panel for national contracts for the 2014-2015 year. New contracts have been awarded to Quinton de Kock of the bizhub Highveld Lions and David Miller of the Sunfoil Dolphins.

 

The number of contracted players has been reduced from 22 to 17 in terms of the agreement reached between CSA and the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) for the period May 2014 to 2018.

 

“I am delighted that we recently signed a new Heads of Agreement with SACA,” commented CSA Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat. “As expected, negotiating player terms that include earnings will always be challenging, but I was really pleased with the positive and mature way in which the negotiations were conducted.

 

“In addition to the 17 nationally contracted players CSA will also offer 12 top-up contracts for aspiring Franchise players who could be regarded as potential Proteas in the future. This group will only be selected once the Franchises have completed the contracting of their players.”

 

The Board also approved a request from the Chief Executive to consider multi-year contracts.

 

“I am pleased to announce a new development with eight of our top players being awarded two-year contracts as we try to reward and secure our major players. They deserve it!”, commented Mr. Lorgat.

 

The Board of CSA also announced a final one-year contract for Jacques Kallis to recognise his immense contribution to South African cricket over a long period of time and to secure his availability for the ODI squad. This contract does not form part of the 17-man national list as it is a special contract with specific terms.

 

“We are well aware of the incredible stature of Jacques and his personal desire to play in next year’s ICC World Cup. We want to help him as best as we can,” added Mr Lorgat.

 

CSA contracted players: Hashim Amla (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Quinton de Kock (bizhub Highveld Lions), AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Faf du Plessis (The Unlimited Titans), Imran Tahir (bizhub Highveld Lions), Rory Kleinveldt (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Ryan McLaren (Chevrolet Knights), David Miller (Sunfoil Dolphins), Morne Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Wayne Parnell (Chevrolet Warriors), Alviro Petersen (bizhub Highveld Lions), Robin Peterson (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Vernon Philander (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Graeme Smith (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Dale Steyn (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Lonwabo Tsotsobe (bizhub Highveld Lions)

 

The Board meeting also considered a number of other topics at its scheduled meeting. Mr Lorgat reported on the successful ending and the highly positive outcomes achieved during the RAM SLAM T20 Challenge.

 

“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Ram Hand-to-Hand Couriers for their creativity and support which resulted in them winning the Best New Sponsorship award at last week’s Sports Industry Awards 2014.

 

“Spectator attendance was up by 43 percent and we had a sold-out crowd for the Final.

 

“The domestic TV audience for the Final match exceeded 400 000 and the total domestic audience over the 21 televised matches was 1.7million. For the first time we had global TV coverage and I believe this must be the reason why Beuran Hendricks – the record wicket-taker for the tournament – landed a lucrative IPL contract.”

 

The Board was also provided with updated financial reports for the current financial year which ends on 30 April. The Board thanked management for its efforts to reduce the impact of the curtailed India tour by sourcing new revenues and curbing costs.

 

“Although we will still achieve a surplus for the year, we are estimating this to be around R54m short against what we had budgeted for the year.” said Mr. Lorgat.

 

The Board also noted completion of the new High Performance Centre in Pretoria, within budget.

 

“We are really excited and we are naturally looking forward to the opening of this world class facility next month.” concluded Mr. Lorgat.

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