Cricket South Africa has today named a provisional 18-player South Africa Under-19s (SA U19s) squad for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 to be held in Sri Lanka from 13 January – 04 February.
The finalized 15-player list and three non-travelling reserves will be announced in December.
Lions batter David Teeger will captain the side, which includes five players new to the SA U19s setup; Esosa Aihevba (Lions), Adam Cannata (Titans), Nqobani Mokoena (KwaZulu-Natal Coastal), Juan Steyn (Easterns) and Steve Stolk (Titans).
Teeger was part of the squad that toured Bangladesh in July for a five-match Youth ODI series and finished as the top run-scorer with 205 runs at an average of 41.
In preparation for the World Cup, the players will continue to train in their provinces before the squad gathers for a week-long camp in Durban from 09 – 15 December.
The players will then go on to compete in the Khaya Majola Week in Makhanda from 16 – 20 December.
The World Cup squad will travel to Sri Lanka on 26 December where they will participate in a training camp and warm-up matches ahead of the start of the tournament.
Commenting on the squad, SA U19s Convenor of Selectors Patrick Moroney said: “Firstly, I would like to congratulate each of the players for being selected for the provisional squad. It’s great to see the abundance of young talent in South Africa and credit must be given to the provinces for producing a rich pool of players from which we were able to select this squad.
“It’s also been a pleasure to watch how the players have developed over the last two years in the build-up to the World Cup.
“It’s a balanced squad with a strong top 6-7 batting line-up with hard-hitting batters upfront, much like the senior men’s team. The coaching staff have also been working exceptionally hard with the batters on playing spin in preparation of what to expect in the subcontinent.
“From a bowling point of view, a lot of focus has been placed on Kwena (Mphaka), especially after his call up to the South Africa A side earlier this year, and so we’re really looking forward to seeing him along with the rest of bowling unit step up over the next few months.”
Head coach Malibongwe Maketa added: “It is an exciting group of players that have been earmarked for the World Cup and we’re looking forward to building on the experience of the Bangladesh tour. That tour provided an excellent opportunity to assess the players in different conditions.
“The key for us now will be to fine tune our preparation in the upcoming training camps as we look to finalize the squad that will represent South Africa at the World Cup.”
PROVISIONAL SA U19S MEN’S SQUAD - ICC U19 MEN’S CRICKET WORLD CUP 2024
David Teeger (captain, Lions), Esosa Aihevba (Lions), Adam Cannata (Titans), Bennie Hansen (Western Province), Juan James (Western Province), Martin Khumalo (Easterns), Kwena Maphaka (Lions), Dewan Marias (Easterns), Riley Norton (Boland), Nqobani Mokoena (KwaZulu-Natal Coastal), Romashan Pillay (KwaZula-Natal Coastal), Sipho Potsane (Lions), Lhuan-dre Pretorius (Lions), Richard Seletswane (Lions), Juan Steyn (Easterns), Oliver Whitehead (Western Province), Steve Stolk (Titans), and Ntando Zuma (KwaZulu-Natal Inland).
MANAGEMENT
Malibongwe Maketa (Head Coach), Blanche Conradie (Team Manager), Thabang Kumalo (Fielding Coach), Justin Sammons (Batting Coach), Paul Adams (Bowling Coach), Curtly Diesel (Strength and Conditioning Coach), Salih Solomon (Team Doctor), Sheenagh Jordaan (Physiotherapist) and Kyle Southgate (Performance Analyst).