South African Domestic Season 2009/10
 

It will start a little earlier because of the Champions League.

Domestic season readies for early start | South Africa Cricket News | Cricinfo.com

Can't wait, EP have a strong squad this year, but we'll no doubt lose everyone to other commitments

Squads...

Warriors - Birch, Boje, Brown, Dolley, Ingram, Arno Jacobs, Davey Jacobs, Jeggels, Kreusch, Kruger, Meyer, Mjekula, Ntshona, Smith, Smuts, Rusty, Thyssen, Williams.

National Players - Botha, Boucher, Kallis, Ntini, Parnell, Prince, Tsotsobe.

In - Garnett Kruger, Nicky Boje, Ntshona (rookie/Eastern Province), Dolley (rookie/EP), Birch (rookie/EP), Williams (rookie/Griquas).

Out - Zander de Bruyn (Lions), Robbie P (Cobras), Mario Olivier (Cobras).

Cape Cobras - Canning, Davids, Engelbrecht, Gray, Kemp, Kleinveldt, Langeveldt, Levi, Ontong, Paulse, Robbie P, Philander, Plaatijes, Puttick, van Zyl, Olivier, Zondeki.

National Players - Smith, JP, Gibbs.

Champions League Players - Brand, Claude Henderson, Rabie, Leonard van Wyk.

In - Justin Kemp, Robbie P, Mario Olivier.

Eagles - Human, Morne van Wyk, Elgar, Reeza Hendricks, Bailey, Rossouw, Adrian McLaren, Ryan McLaren, du Preez, CJ de Villiers, Coetzee, Tshabalala, van Schalkwyk, Mpitsang, Kruger, Con de Lange, Charl Pietersen, Bossenger, Swanepoel, Pienaar.

National Players -

In - Ryan McLaren, Obus Pienaar (rookie), Charl Pietersen (provincial), Wendell Bossenger (provincial).

Nice to see Kemp, Boje, Kruger & McLaren return. Sure there's more as well.

van der Wath and Hayward but I don't know what franchises picked them up. van der Wath probably has a deal with the Eagles but isn't in their Champions League squad due to former ICL ties.

Jacques Rudolph is back with the Titans. As is Tyron Henderson but he will only feature in limited overs cricket for the franchise.

Big season ahead for 3 of our big batting young guns in Dean Elgar, Rilee Rossuw and Jonathan Vandiar.

Our fast bowling resources seem to be well stocked at international level especially with the return of McLaren and no one really will jump to international scene unless they have a blinder.

Big season for Heino Kuhn as well because he is scene as the successor to Bouch unless somehow we get Kieswetter to think twice about his future. His 2 good mates Elgar and Parnell might persuade him.

On spin bowling front we are well stocked. But I will say that there is a youngster, Thomas Kaber who is 17 now but played SA U19 at 16 and will come through the brilliant Titans system soon. To make matters even better he is a left-arm chinaman bowler.

Kaber broke nearly ever record at Affies. Though, I'll doubt he will feature this year given the Titans have a plethora of spinners. Titans need to bring through Malan and Arnold this year.

Also, another all-round spinner with talent is Yaseen Vallie. He didn't break through last year but he looked very good at the U19 World Cup and is been playing for the National Academy this winter.

Injury robbed Vandiar of really pushing on last season but he is fully fit now and huge things are expected of him. Such an attractive batsman to watch as well. Hopefully he is still bowling...

I'm not so sure about Arnold. Supposedly he has had such a bad back injury he is trying to tranform into a batsman which I cannot see. The only way Malan can get into the team is if he replaces Snijman.

Kaber will definitley not make it this season. Gone are the days of picking a 'Gibbs' from high school at 16 and playing FC cricket. He is only year 11 at school and will continue to be at the Titans academy and play U19 WC next year. Kaber took the most school boy wickets in SA for last season and obviously broke the Affies record at the same time. In the past it wasn't really a cricketing but a rugby school. Now they keep producing cricketers.

Yaseen Vallie wasn't given a contract for the Cobras surprisingly. Once again the pathetic Cobras hierarchy cannot see an obvious talent like a Kieswetter.

On Vandiar

Superb talent and complements the other future SA batsmen in Elgar and Rossouw so well. SA batting is in good hands.

I am disappointed that Vandiar went to the Lions because he would have batted higher at the Dolphins and not 6 like he does at the Lions but I guess I understand why he left.

Trust me those leggies are still going and Elgar bowls brilliant Slow-left-arm ala Michael Clarke in style. Good to have part-time options like a Duminy now.

From my part of the world its going to be a big season for JJ Smuts.. Has basically broken every EC schoolboy record going and had a promising season last year.. I hope we hold onto him rather than him leaving for one of the bigger franchises such as England

Lions - Craig Alexander, Werner Coetsee, Stephen Cook, Dane Vilas, Friedel de Wet, Zander de Bruyn, Andre Nel, Heinrich le Roux, Neil McKenzie, Jean Symes, Aaron Phangiso, Virus, Jonathan Vandiar, VB van Jaarsveld, Thami Tsolekile, Ugasen Govender.

The Lions biggest problem like last year will be getting four black cricketers on the pitch. Virus, Vandiar and Alexander pick themselves but a guy like Dane Vilas may have to play as a specialist batsman (he can), to accommodate Tsolekile. Worrying thing for the franchise is that they still can't produce their own players of colours - like the Titans they always have to poach from the Cape.

Exciting team though. High hopes for Alexander, probably the quickest bowler outside the national side in South Africa with Plaatijes of the Cobras. Nice action as well, shades of Charl Langeveldt and like Langeveldt, he is capable of swinging the ball both ways.

Spoke of Vandiar but Vilas is also a serious talent. Very easy on the eye and has all the shots. Interesting how VB van Jaarsveld reacts after such a disappointing tour of Australia, had multiple opportunities to impress but really did buckle under the pressure.

Shouldn't be that difficult then. Malan starred for the National Academy this winter against the Bangladeshi academy and it was only last year, van der Merwe was doing the same.

Cobras are a poorly run franchise. Aside from Yaseen and Kieswetter, they also let Dawid Malan and Bradley Barnes fall through the system. Whilst also making Richard Levi rot for Western Province, despite being one of the most talented batsman in the country. Cobras should be building their side around the likes of Levi, van Zyl and Vallie, instead they let the likes of Philander and Kleinveldt blow up and piss away their career.

Ray Jennings was at the franchise at the time and being Vandiar's U19 coach, I think Vandiar saw it as an ideal chance to get as much game time as possible, at a club which needs black cricketers. At the Dolphins, they don't have an issue with transformation, so his progression could have been slowed.