Khalid Mohidin identifies three youngsters who have stood out for SA U19 in their Youth ODI series against Pakistan.
Achille Cloete
The Boland speedster played a vital role in his province standing out at the 2017/18 Khaya Majola week hosted by Johannesburg. In fact, as a 16-year-old he impressed with his raw pace that saw batsmen his senior struggle to read or defend his in-swing and out-swing deliveries.
He was a surprise pick in the SA Schools team that year and followed this up by being selected in the SA Schools team for a second year running in the 2018/19 Khaya Majola Week in the season. SA U19 selection followed and he is now one of the most promising fast bowlers in the country. Cloete took six wickets in the first four matches of the seven-match series with best innings figures of 2-35.
Jonathan Bird
The 18-year-old has been SA U19’s most prolific batsman. He racked up 215 runs in the first five matches of the seven-match series at an average of 53.75 which included a dominant century in a 116-run defeat, as well as 75 in another heavy defeat.
READ: PLAYER RADAR: BIRD IN FULL FLIGHT
Bryce Parsons
Parsons is regarded as one of the top young all-rounders in the country. A top-order batsman for Gauteng, Parsons is also effective as a spinner and has proved that once again during the series against Pakistan, a team who are very comfortable against spin. He took five wickets in four matches of the seven-match series with a BBI of 2-24 and added 106 runs in what has been a frail batting display by junior Proteas.
He has, however, proved his worth in previous tours, particularly in the India tour last season where SA U19 were humiliated and their inexperience in subcontinent conditions was exposed. He scored 58 batting at No 6 and took 6-77 in the first Youth Test and scored 64 in the second Youth Test. This was followed by a decent quadrangular series, that saw Parsons finish with 95 runs and seven wickets in four ODIs.
Photo: Howard Cleland/Backpage Pix
