The Tuskers have confirmed their squad for the upcoming season in Division 2 of Cricket South Africa’s domestic structure, however the team has retained some important members and added some exciting young talent to their squad.
With the disappointed of last season behind them and their pre-season about to commence, the Tuskers will be excited to have the opportunity to fight it out for promotion back to the top-flight of domestic cricket.
Having retained the services of their most experienced players in captain Michael Erlank, batter Kagiso Rapulana, allrounder Malcolm Nofal, seamer Mbulelo Budaza and wicketkeeper/batter Cameron Shekleton, the Tuskers will have a strong core of experienced players to rely on.
The Tuskers have also invested in experienced players from around the country and will have a number of exciting talents at their disposal for the new season.
Sean Whithead joins the Tuskers from the Warriors and will be relied on to make solid contributions with his accurate left-arm spin.
Former Dolphins player Jason Oakes returns to KZN after representing the Northern Cape Heat last season and will be another player that will come in with experience at this level as well as knowledge of the local conditions.
Another experienced player to join the Tuskers ranks is seamer Ziyaad Abrahams. The right-arm seamer joins from the Warriors with a wealth of first-class and list-A cricket under his belt. Along with Budaza, the pair will be tasked with leading the Tuskers attack.
The Tuskers have also acquired the services of Marcello Piedt. The 31-year-old will also be responsible for taking on a portion of the responsibility from a seam bowling perspective.
After making his debut for the Dolphins last season, Sean Gilson makes the trip up the N3 to the Pietermaritzburg Oval to take up a contract with the Tuskers. The former Michaelhouse pupil will understand the conditions and will lead a young brigade of players making their way in the professional game.
Ntando Zuma, who made his debut for the Tuskers last season, while still at school at St Charles has received a full contract with the union this season.
There are four players that have received High Performance contracts for the new season.
These include three home-grown KZN talents in former Hilton College player James Ritchie, former Glenwood pupil Chad Laycock and Maritzburg College’s Mondli Khumalo.
Khumalo has been an important part of the Tuskers set-up and will be looking to impress again this season.
The Tuskers have also brought in exciting young middle-order batter Jack Lees from the Titans. Lees, who scored an impressive 64 not out for the Titans in the CSA T20 Challenge towards the end of last season will be a valuable addition to the Tuskers arsenal.
With some significant movement of players in and out of Pietermaritzburg, head coach Ahmed Amla is happy with the squad that he will have at his disposal next season.
“I am very happy with all the effort that has been put into getting the squad together amidst all the movements between teams these days,” Amla said.
“We have retained some key contributors from last year and fresh young faces included that have come with strong performances in the levels that they have been playing.
“I believe we are better balanced in terms of the white ball formats when referencing to last season, so we do have good options and sufficient quality in all three formats.”
The CEO of KZN Inland Cricket Jason Sathiaseelan is looking forward to seeing how this new crop of players will perform for the Tuskers.
“We are excited with the squad that we have assembled,” Sathiaseelan said. “There are a lot of players with Division 1 experience, and we believe they will add great value to the team. We wanted players that fit into the profile of the Tuskers and this squad reflects that.
“The pipeline has been rewarded with players like Ntando Zuma, Mondli Khumalo, Sean Gilson and James Ritchie, all of these players have schooled in Pietermaritzburg and the team reflects many players from the KZN region. “
Tuskers Contracted Players:
Michael Erlank, Malcolm Nofal, Mbulelo Budaza, Kagiso Rapulana, Cameron Shekleton, Ntando Zuma, Sean Whitehead, Sean Gilson, Ziyaad Abrahams, Jason Oakes, Marcello Piedt.
High Performance Contracted Players:
James Ritchie, Chad Laycock, Mondli Khumalo, Jack Lees