Boland Cricket has made some bold signings which included the Malan brothers – Janneman and Pieter – a duo that should ensure that they are a force to be reckoned with as Professional Cricket makes a fresh start.

The new structure of professional cricket is finally upon us, the Division One squads have been announced and there’s a huge excitement from the fans around the country.

Boland Cricket has surprised many with their signings mainly because no one was expecting such big signings at a part of the country that hasn’t seen much cricket in recent years.

The #BeBoldBoland initiative is fitting because these signings are most certainly bold. 

Amongst the new signings at Boland are the Malan Brothers who have become a household name & a favourite brotherhood in South African cricket in the past three seasons.

“I think we played all different types of sports and cricket was sort of just the one that took off,” Pieter Malan told Cricket Fanatics Magazine in an exclusive interview. 

“Growing up, we were very excited when Janneman was born. Because he was a fielder when Andre (the middle brother) and I played. He [Janneman] had to hide behind the tree for the first part when we were hitting the ball, but he quickly became a bigger part of the game.”

The camaraderie between the brothers heads over to Paarl for the 2021/22 season. The brothers understand the role they have in lifting the Boland Cricket brand to new heights. 

“A big thing for me that I’m excited about with Boland is the community feel to it and the way the fans engage. The fans come out and they engage and they want us to do well,” said Pieter.

“So that’s the part I’m most excited about – is that sort of engagement and really being a team that plays for the community and for the people of Boland.”

The Paarl faithful really took the country by storm in the way that they supported their team [Paarl Rocks] during the Mzansi Super League. They are arguably the most supportive & vocal fans in the country.

“In the Mzansi League – the games there (at Boland Park) were amazing and hopefully we can have cricket where the fans can come and watch again,” explained Janneman.

“There’s just a different kind of energy around when it’s a sunny day and there’s nice music and vibe and as a player, you kind of feel good to be there. So I’m looking forward to that.

New squad, new team, new cricket structure. But the objective for any professional team remains the same – to win trophies.

There’s a big opportunity for this group of players at Boland Cricket to really establish an identity for the team that they will be known for.

“It’s exciting because it’s a new side, we can put our stamp on it to really be a hard-working team that does things the right way. I mean, we need to win trophies. So that’s what we’ll be trying to do,” said Pieter.

“I think it’s a good opportunity especially with the squad we have, we have a good potential to see how we gel as a team and go to work to win trophies,” Janneman concluded.

Boland Cricket certainly has impressed with the perfect combination of youth & seniority in their team. As a fan, like all the other fans in the country – we cannot wait to witness the level of cricket we will have at our disposal. 

Boland Squad: Janneman Malan, Pieter Malan, Hardus Viljoen, Is-maeel Gafieldien, Ferisco Adams, Siyabonga Mahima, Christiaan Jonker, Ruan Terblanche, Imraan Manack, Shaun von Berg, Michael Copeland, Zakhele Qwabe, Clyde Fortuin, Achille Cloete, Stiaan van Zyl, Ziyaad Abrahams, Kyle Abbott.

This content was sponsored by Boland Cricket.