Cricket South Africa (CSA) has named the 15-player squad that will represent South Africa at the ICC U19 Men’s World Cup 2024 to be held in South Africa across January and February.
The South Africa Under-19s (SA U19s) will be captained by Lions batter David Teeger and feature the top youth cricketers from around the country.
Some of those players that have seen their profiles rise in the past few months include Lions trio Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Richard Seletswane as well as Dewan Marias from Easterns.
The hosts are pooled with England, Scotland and the West Indies in Group B.
As part of their preparations, Malibongwe Maketa’s side will travel to Durban today for a week-long camp where they will enjoy some game time through two practice matches against Zimbabwe U19s on 9 and 11 December at the Chatsworth Oval in Pietermaritzburg.
These matches will be followed by a practice match against KwaZulu-Natal U19s on 13 December at the same venue.
Commenting on the final selection, SA U19s Convenor of Selectors Patrick Moroney said: “I extend my congratulations to each player who has secured a spot in the World Cup squad; their inclusion is well-deserved.
“This group of young cricketers has demonstrated exceptional abilities and potential. We have full confidence in their capabilities and are excited to see them compete at the highest level, especially with the added pride of playing in front of a home crowd.
“We had initially selected three spinners in the provisional 18-player squad in the anticipation of the sub-continent conditions in Sri Lanka. But with the tournament now taking in South Africa and the change in conditions, we have named two specialist spinners and extra cover within our fast bowling group.
“And I would like to wish the players and the support staff well for the tournament and anticipate an exciting World Cup campaign.”
CSA Director of Cricket, Enoch Nkwe, added: “After months of hard work we are pleased to see such a well-rounded squad that will represent South Africa at the World Cup.
“The quality of this group shows the amount of work that is going on behind the scenes through the CSA pipeline and I have no doubt they will do us proud next year.”
SA U19s Men’s Squad – ICC U19 Men’s World Cup 2024
David Teeger (captain, Lions), Esosa Aihevba (Lions), 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), 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).
