South African Domestic Season 2015/16

[SeamUp]

Ngidi did well in the T20 African Cup,looking at the scores,shame i couldn't get coverage of the games in Australia.

A good athlete like Rabada. Tall and strong with natural pace. He looks to angle it in to the right-hander and it may be because he falls away slightly but that looks like the major thing he needs to work on.

 

[SeamUp]

What happened to Gqamane? It seems he's fallen off the radar.

Since his injury he hasn't performed. His bowling is the concern. But I am sure we will see him in the Ram Slam T20.

 

[SeamUp]

Dolphins

the south african cricket world is abuzz with excitement after former english international kevin pietersen jetted into durban on wednesday evening ahead of his five match stint with the sunfoil dolphins during the upcoming ram slam t20 challenge.

Having been schooled at maritzburg college, played club cricket for berea rovers and made his first class debut for province, the global batting sensation returns to a place he holds fondly in his heart and is looking forward to contributing as best he can.

“i always get an exciting feeling flying back into to south africa whether it’s for a holiday or to work,” said pietersen.

“it’s going to be a lot of fun and a lot of hard work because i set myself high standards and from the quality that was at training, it is quite an exciting bunch of young guys so hopefully we can get some positive results and i can help on the field, off the field and do whatever i can to help create some sort of a buzz,” he added.

Pietersen, who played two first class matches for the sunfoil dolphins in october 2010, will get his first taste of the south african domestic t20 competition on sunday when the men from durban take on the unlimited titans and the powerful right hander is pleased with where his game is.

“i know exactly what i need to get myself ready for whenever i play; it’s just about getting feet moving.”

“it counts for nothing in the nets but i’ve always been a hard worker and cricket is everything to me, my batting is everything to me!” said pietersen

despite pietersen only being available for the first half of the competition, sunfoil dolphins ceo pete de wet unveiled on wednesday that west indian all-rounder dwayne bravo will return to durban during the second half of the tournament for his second stint with the franchise.

“dwayne has become one of the top performing all-rounders in t20 cricket in recent years and to have him return to our setup for the second five games of the ram slam t20 challenge is something we’re extremely pleased with,” said de wet.

“dwayne has toured south africa with the west indian side and represented the sunfoil dolphins in the same competition last season and so we look forward to his familiarity with the both the environment and our squad contributing to a strong contribution from him with both bat and ball,” he added.

The sunfoil dolphins have chosen a thirteen man squad for their match against the unlimited titans which takes place at 14h30 on sunday, 1 november at supersport park centurion.

Together with pietersen’s arrival, captain morné van wyk returns to the squad after overcoming a wrist injury that saw him miss a portion of the momentum one day cup while david miller, kyle abbott and khaya zondo – all returning after their time with the proteas in india – add great strength and experience.

Fans are also reminded to get their tickets from TicketPro for the sunfoil dolphins home games at sahara stadium kingsmead against the bizbub highveld lions and the warriors on wednesday 4 and sunday 8 november respectively.

For the second year running, all south african citizens also stand a chance of winning a share of r1million should they catch a ‘six’ one-handed and cleanly at any televised ram slam t20 challenge match this season (ts & cs apply).

titans

centurion – the return of the in-form quinton de kock at the top of the order, farhaan behardien in the middle-order and chris morris in the lower middle-order)will bolster the unlimited titans for the ram slam t20 challenge.

The unlimited titans will start their campaign against the sunfoil dolphins at supersport park on sunday 1st november. (the starting time is 15:30)

de kock hammered a magnificent 109 on sunday in the fifth one day international against india as south africa accumulated a sensational 438 for nine and won the decider to clinch the five-match series 3-2. The left-handed opener also scored 103 earlier in the series, and is the youngest batsman in one day internationals to have completed eight tons.

The 22-year old wicketkeeper also pulled off a sensational catch to send virat kohli packing.

Rob walter, the unlimited titans coach, confirmed that de kock will open the innings in the ram slam t20 challenge.

Behardien has been a revelation for south africa in one day internationals the past six months, and has grown as a batsman and as a fifth bowler. In the high-scoring match on sunday, he conceded 50 runs in eight overs.

Morris was superb for the rajasthan royals in the indian premier league in 2015 and could strengthen the unlimited titans’ options in the ram slam t20 challenge.

Walter was disappointed with the way in which his team performed in the first half of the momentum one day cup performances, as the team lacked consistency.

They boasted six batsmen in the top-twenty in terms of the national averages, and five in the top-twenty in terms of bowling averages, but they were invariably let down by one of the three disciplines.

In defeat to the vkb knights, the batsmen were 40 runs short in kimberley, walter said.

When the team clicked as a cohesive unit, they achieved bonus-point wins.

Walter dismissed criticism that albie morkel should bat higher up the order, saying he is one of eight good batting options, and his position in the order depends on the match situation.

In the 2014/2015-season, the titans battled with their bowling in the power play, but they have an abundance of riches in this department this season, as morkel, morris, marchant de lange and the much-improved junior dala provide them with options.

The wrist spinner shaun von berg dislocated a finger in practice last week, and will be out of action for at least four weeks.

David wiese is also a few weeks away from a return.

lions

a youthful bizhub highveld lions squad will come up against an experienced and imposing cape cobras side when the two teams clash in the second game of a ram slam t20 challenge double-header at ppc newlands on sunday.

While the cobras will have their usual stalwarts plus the powerful allrounder kieron pollard in their ranks, the lions have opted to give opportunities to younger players and build the franchise for the future.

Among their 14 squad members are bjorn fortuin and shaylen pillay, who are both just 21 years old, as well as devon conway, matt mcgillivray, andre malan and nicky van den bergh, who are all between 24 and 26 and have minimal franchise experience.

“we sat down with the selectors, and we’re basically trying to plot the way forward for lions cricket,” said coach geoff toyana.

“we felt that it’s quite important because we do have a bunch of talented young cricketers. A guy like conway did well last year - he was player of the year in the semi-professional competition - and yet he can’t seem to get an opportunity.

“so we are trying to go with a young side and we’re very comfortable with that. Hopefully the young pups will gain that valuable experience for the future.”

guiding the youngsters along will be veteran batsman alviro petersen, current proteas aaron phangiso and eddie leie, senior fast bowlers hardus viljoen and lonwabo tsotsobe, and the experienced thami tsolekile, who will captain the side.

Left-arm seamer beuran hendricks remains sidelined for the cobras, but otherwise the hosts will boast a full complement of players after andrew puttick overcame a recurrence of a mouth infection and rory kleinveldt was given time to get over a mild calf strain.

Despite their embarrassment of riches in terms of player resources, the defending champions have signed last year’s ram slam t20 player of the year, pollard, for another two seasons, with the west indian landing in cape town on thursday.

“he did fantastically well for us so we’re hoping for more of the same, but we know it’s going to be a team effort,” said justin ontong.

“obviously he’s a world-class player, and it’s not only on the field that he brings a lot of experience - he also helps the boys off the field. He’s a very good professional and a great man to have in your squad.”

knights

a new coaching team, a new competition and the inclusion of two new players give the vkb knights an opportunity to make a fresh start when they take on the warriors in the first game of sunday’s ram slam t20 double-header at ppc newlands.

With coach, sarel cilliers, and the knights parting ways after last weekend’s momentum one-day cup defeat to the bizhub highveld lions, a new coaching team of nicky boje and allan donald has brought a new approach ahead of the twenty20 competition.

The franchise has also been bolstered by the arrival of theunis de bruyn and ryan mclaren on loan, and are expecting to have west indian all-rounder andre russell in their ranks for the majority of a tournament of which they have fond memories, having reached the final last season.

“at least it’s a new competition,” said boje. “obviously the guys didn’t have a great time in the momentum one-day cup, but i must say that everyone is looking forward to a new challenge and a new competition.

“the guys will take a lot of positives out of last season and what they’ve done, and then allan donald and i are bringing a lot of new ideas in, so hopefully the guys can just build on last year, and then when andre russell arrives we will have momentum and can keep playing good cricket.”

in contrast to the wave of change sweeping through the knights, the warriors will enter the game with a very similar side to the one which served them well in the first half of the 50-over competition.

Although the franchise explored the possibility of recruiting an overseas player and some local loans, none of their enquiries bore fruit.

“we’re happy with what we’ve got, and it’s an opportunity for our own players to develop their game and show what they’re capable of,” said coach, malibongwe maketa.

It helps that three wins out of five games has put them level with the cobras on top of the momentum one-day cup table, making maketa’s chief goal to ensure a smooth transition between the formats.

“i’d be lying to say that confidence is not high at the moment,” he said. “we still appreciate the fact that it’s a totally different competition, but we’re in a good space nonetheless.

“we just need to up the intensity, and complement that with the execution that we have done so well in the momentum one-day cup. It’s a shift of mindset. Ram slam is all about executing skills under pressure.”

cobras

@cobrascricket kick-off ram slam t20 challenge at ppc newlands as kleinveldt, puttick recover from woes

rory kleinveldt has recovered from his calf injury and andrew puttick is on the mend after his mouth infection flared up again, while the all-rounder kieron pollard will arrive at ppc newlands on thursday for the opening match of the ram slam t20 challenge on sunday against the bizhub highveld lions.

The match at ppc newlands on sunday, will commence at 16:00. The cape cobras are the defending champions in the ram slam t20 challenge. They won the domestic t20-title in emphatic fashion in december 2014, defeating the knights by 33 runs.

Paul adams, the cape cobras coach, has called for an improvement in the top-order batting, despite the fact that the cape champions finished the first round of the momentum one day cup competition at the summit of the log with 14 points.

Adams said a lack of substantial scores, especially centuries, by members of the top-order was one areas of concern in the first round of the momentum one day cup campaign. Rescue acts by lower middle-order batsmen constantly powered the cape cobras to competitive scores and they were able to secure two bonus-point wins.

Puttick missed a few crucial games due to a mouth infection. His reunion with the hard-hitting richard levi could aid the cape cobras in their quest for a substantial opening partnership and a solid base in the ram slam t20 challenge.

Pollard is a streetwise all-rounder, and somebody capable of propelling the cape cobras to scores close to 200 if provided with an excellent foundation. He was the premier player in the domestic t20-showpiece last season, capturing 14 wickets and averaging 81 with the blade.

Kleinveldt, wayne parnell, pollard, tshepo moreki and robin peterson could be a match-winning bowling attack, even if they are to protect a below-par score.

Dane paterson and kleinveldt will be given a breather when the cape cobras play practice matches on tuesday.

Puttick will consult a specialist on tuesday in a precautionary measure to ensure he is ready for the t20-action on sunday.

 

[SeamUp]

Squads

COBRAS

Richard LEVI, Andrew PUTTICK, Omphile RAMELA, Justin ONTONG, Lesiba NGOEPE, Kieron POLLARD
Robin PETERSON, George LINDE
Rory KLEINVELDT, Wayne PARNELL, Dane PATERSON, Mthokozisi SHEZI, Tshepo MOREKI

WARRIORS

JJ SMUTS, Gihahn CLOETE, Colin INGRAM, Yaseen VALLIE, Christiaan JONKER, Clyde FORTUIN, Colin ACKERMANN, Jerry NQOLO
Andrew BIRCH, Basheer WALTERS, Sisanda MAGALA, Aya GQAMANE, Lundi MBANE

DOLPHINS

Morne VAN WYK, Cameron DELPORT, Kevin PIETERSEN, Cody CHETTY, Dave MILLER, Khaya ZONDO
Keshav MAHARAJ
Dwayne BRAVO, Kyle ABBOTT, Craig ALEXANDER, Andile PHEHLUKWAYO, Rabian ENGELBRECHT

KNGITHS (disappointing Rossouw still injured)

Reeza HENDRICKS, Rudi SECOND, Theunis DE BRUYN, Tumelo BODIBE, Diego ROSIER, Patrick BOTHA
Werner COETSEE
Andre RUSSELL, Dillon DU PREEZ, Ryan MCLAREN, Malusi SIBOTO, Shadley VAN SCHALKWYK, Kagiso MOHALE

LIONS

Rassie VAN DER DUSSEN, Devon CONWAY, Alviro PETERSEN, Andre MALAN, Thami TSOLEKILE, Nicky VAN DER BERGH
Eddie LEIE, Aaron PHANGISO, Bjorn FORTUIN
Matt MCGILLIVRAY, Shaylen PILLAY, Dwaine PRETORIUS, Lonwabo TSOTSOBE, Hardus VILJOEN

TITANS

Quinton DE KOCK, Henry DAVIDS, Heino KUHN, Farhaan BEHARDIEN, Qaasim ADAMS, Grant THOMSON
Tabraiz SHAMSI, Ruben CLAASEN
Albie MORKEL, Chris MORRIS, Marchant DE LANGE, Junior DALA, Lungi NGIDI

 

[SeamUp]

3 of my favourite cricketers in amateur cricket doing the biz in the latest round

Dupavillon 2/19, Savage 3/18 & Markram 72*

 

[brockley]

Van Buuren back in 2nd division which is strange he and Kuhn done well.
Yes Debruyn being forced out is unbelieveable,he is on the cusp for playing for S Africa and he is dropped.
The system is faulty.

 

[Niall]

Seam 2 questions

are those 13 man squads the official ones for ram slam as cricinfo have 17 man squads

and is rilee out for Sunday first match?

 

[SeamUp]

Seam 2 questions

are those 13 man squads the official ones for ram slam as cricinfo have 17 man squads

and is rilee out for Sunday first match?

Just the squads announced for the first set of fixtures so Rilee to miss the first couple of games. Hopefully back for the rest.

Squads

COBRAS

Richard LEVI, Andrew PUTTICK, Omphile RAMELA, Justin ONTONG, Lesiba NGOEPE, Kieron POLLARD
Robin PETERSON, George LINDE
Rory KLEINVELDT, Wayne PARNELL, Dane PATERSON, Mthokozisi SHEZI, Tshepo MOREKI

WARRIORS

JJ SMUTS, Gihahn CLOETE, Colin INGRAM, Yaseen VALLIE, Christiaan JONKER, Clyde FORTUIN, Colin ACKERMANN, Jerry NQOLO
Andrew BIRCH, Basheer WALTERS, Sisanda MAGALA, Aya GQAMANE, Lundi MBANE

DOLPHINS

Morne VAN WYK, Cameron DELPORT, Kevin PIETERSEN, Cody CHETTY, Dave MILLER, Khaya ZONDO
Keshav MAHARAJ
Dwayne BRAVO, Kyle ABBOTT, Craig ALEXANDER, Andile PHEHLUKWAYO, Rabian ENGELBRECHT

KNGITHS (disappointing Rossouw still injured)

Reeza HENDRICKS, Rudi SECOND, Theunis DE BRUYN, Tumelo BODIBE, Diego ROSIER, Patrick BOTHA
Werner COETSEE
Andre RUSSELL, Dillon DU PREEZ, Ryan MCLAREN, Malusi SIBOTO, Shadley VAN SCHALKWYK, Kagiso MOHALE

LIONS

Rassie VAN DER DUSSEN, Devon CONWAY, Alviro PETERSEN, Andre MALAN, Thami TSOLEKILE, Nicky VAN DER BERGH
Eddie LEIE, Aaron PHANGISO, Bjorn FORTUIN
Matt MCGILLIVRAY, Shaylen PILLAY, Dwaine PRETORIUS, Lonwabo TSOTSOBE, Hardus VILJOEN

TITANS

Quinton DE KOCK, Henry DAVIDS, Heino KUHN, Farhaan BEHARDIEN, Qaasim ADAMS, Grant THOMSON
Tabraiz SHAMSI, Ruben CLAASEN
Albie MORKEL, Chris MORRIS, Marchant DE LANGE, Junior DALA, Lungi NGIDI

Avuya Myoli and Prenelan Subrayen pulled from the KZN game and join the Dolphins squad. Rabian Engelbrecht brought in for KZN as 1 of the replacements so out the Dolphins squad as coming back from injury.

 

[Niall]

Magala you absolute hero,22 to defend off the final over and getting smashed by Ryan Mc Claren

 

[SeamUp]

It was good to see Subrayen bowl so well on the weekend. KP was impressed.

Dave Miller backed up his first winning race horse on Friday with some runs on the Sunday.

 

[Marius]

What a game and what a knock by KP. Lions a bit unlucky but that's the game sometimes.

 

[SeamUp]

What a game and what a knock by KP. Lions a bit unlucky but that's the game sometimes.

Was a great game.

Very encouraging seeing 3 young players in Conway, Subrayen & Phehlukwayo shouldering a lot of responsibility and succeeding.

 

[SeamUp]

Ryan Rickelton debuting for Gauteng.

Oops, a duck first up.

 

[SeamUp]

delete

 

[SeamUp]

Good to see young players in the runs and wickets at amateur level.

Hamza with 55 for WP in a low total. Same for Bradley Dial who was left stranded on 94* for Gauteng and "Rabada potential partner alert" with Keith Dudgeon taking 5/13. Really liked what I saw of Dudgeon in the Africa T20 cup. Quick and skiddy and a definite wicket taker.

 

[brockley]

Fraud probe into South African cricket
Fraud in Saffie domestic cricket?
Must be news if it made the Aussie papers.

 

[Cabinet96]

Easy to forget what an amazing and unique player KP is.

 

[Cabinet96]

Pollard looks like he's carrying a bit of extra timber these days.

 

[Marius]

5/15 for Eddie Leie against the Knights.

Well bowled, son.

 

[Niall]

Watching the dolphins v titans, and some of the dismissals are just horrid,so so so bad this standard, Zondo?

You want to play for South Africa, pray that selectors were not watching your dismissal.