We highlight one of the stand-out talents of the latest Cubs Week, left-arm seamer all-rounder, Aphiwe Mnyanda.
Every year we get to witness some of the best youngsters in the country battle it out at Cubs Week. Franchise U19 sides go head-to-head in a week of nothing but competitive cricket and this year was no different.
Okay, maybe it was a bit different because the tournament took place in a BioSecure Environment like most if not all tournaments since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.
In terms of talent and quality, the tournament did not disappoint. All the sides brought their best players except for sides like Border and one of the KZN sides that were affected by COVID.
Many players impressed and one of those being left-arm seamer, Aphiwe Mnyanda from the Warriors Cubs. The bowling allrounder was one of the youngest players in the tournament and one of the exciting as well. He showcased his skill with the ball and his ability to take wickets early in the innings.
Originally from Fort Beaufort, the talented left-arm seamer started playing cricket at the age of 10 in his hometown but later moved to Port Elizabeth now known as Gqeberha. When he moved to PE, he started playing for Zwide Hub as he was also based in Zwide Township and that is where things began to take off for him. Zwide Hub is also known for the development of Proteas fast bowler, Lutho Sipamla.
Aphiwe Mnyanda has represented EP U13A in 2017, EP U15A in 2018 and 2019 to go with his Warriors Cubs week selection this year. He says he got motivated to work even harder when he attended PE zone trials and made it. This is something that served as a catalyst to a fire that was probably burning even before that. Aphiwe is now mostly based in Grahamstown where he attends school at Graeme College.
Aphiwe when asked about his Cubs wee experience said: “It was a bit tough playing against good guys who are older than me and I learnt a lot from them, but I tried my best.
“I made some mistakes but at the same time I fixed them by taking wickets, hitting the deck hard and putting batsmen under pressure.”
The talented left-arm seamer kicked off his tournament with a wicket off his very first Cub’s week delivery.
Aphiwe has set his sights on making the Proteas one day and he does have the talent and potential to go all the way.
Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
