Proteas share the power
Team members spend time teaching the next generation
The Nomandi Junior Secondary school cricket team from Port St Johns are enjoying the trip of a lifetime as they spend three days with the Proteas after they were one of three winners from around the country in the KFC Kids Join The Proteas On Tour competition.
Over 60,000 competition entries were received nationwide, and Nomandi were picked, along with Amstelhof Primary from Paarl and Bayview Primary from Helenvale, Port Elizabeth.
For Nomandi it is the second time that they have won a KFC competition, after they participated in the previous year’s event, the KFC v Mini Cricket kids tour.
“We played against them against the Proteas in 2015 and we beat them. We were one of the lucky schools from around the country to win that opportunity,” said Nomandi principal and cricket coach, Joseph Nqasa.
“We didn’t enter in 2016 and 2017, and then the community, who were so united from what happened in 2015, decided we should enter again, and we are extremely privileged to get this chance to meet and learn from our heroes once again.
“It is an amazing thing for these kids to get this chance, but not only for them but the whole community, as they will be excited to find out how everything went,” she said.
The kids arrived on Sunday where they were met by Proteas captain Faf du Plessis and players Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi and Heinrich Klaasen.
On Monday they enjoyed a training session on the field with Junior Dala, David Miller, Rassie van der Dussen and Quinton de Kock, and on Tuesday they will travel with the Proteas to the stadium, be a part of the coin toss and guard of honour and will then act as ball boys and girls for the match.
“I think this is massively important for development, and this opportunity allows the kids to see the other side of cricket, not just the part played on the field, but the other work we do. Like today we did some fitness drills with the kids and gave them a taste of what we go through every day,” said Dala.
It is an amazing thing for these kids to get this chance, but not only for them but the whole community
The Standard Bank Proteas will be gunning to get off to the perfect start in their T20 international series against Zimbabwe at Buffalo Park this evening and continue the good momentum built up from their one-day series whitewash.
All-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo, who will be playing in his 14th T20 international, admitted the team was in a good space at the moment and hungry for more success.
“The camp is really in a good state at the moment. The guys are looking positive, we are training really hard. It doesn’t matter the team, the preparation doesn’t change. In terms of our changing room, the culture is always the same,” said Phehlukwayo.
“Obviously now it’s a different ballgame, T20 cricket. A lot of the skills are more pressured. You got to execute really well, so we are training really hard for that.
“We are happy to be here. I think Buffalo Park is a great venue. We love coming here. The fans are always very exciting and it is one of the grounds that I do enjoy coming to play at with a full house of passionate supporters.”
The team is set to feature a number of new and exciting players such as Gihahn Cloete and Rassie van der Dussen, who will be in line to make their debuts, while Christiaan Jonker, Junior Dala, Heinrich Klaasen and Robbie Frylinck have just a handful of caps between them.
They will be backed by senior players such as captain Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy and David Miller.
“There are a lot of new guys in the team. They have all put in the performances at domestic level and deserve their call-ups,” said Phehlukwayo.
With it being the first match of the series the Proteas will be eager to set the tone early on.
It is only the second ever T20 international at Buffalo Park. The first was an eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in 2012, but since then the Proteas have claimed big ODI wins over the West Indies by nine wickets in 2015 and Bangladesh by 200 runs last year.
“The first match is important to set the tone. Before the T20s the guys have been playing good cricket in the ODIs, so there is a positive vibe in the camp,” said Phehlukwayo.
“But T20 cricket is the type of format where any team is in the game. It doesn’t matter if you are ranked 14th or first. On the day it will come down to who executes well and performs.”
For Zimbabwe captain Hamilton Masakadza the series gives his team a chance to start afresh after the disappointment of the one days, and try get one over the Proteas.
“It was very disappointing in the one days. I thought we still left a lot in the tank there, but obviously a different series now, different conditions, so we are looking forward to it,” said Masakadza.
“We did a lot of good things in the one days. The main thing is to now make sure we do it for longer. We started to look better with the bat in the last one, so will look to build on that and also do the right things a bit longer with the ball as well.”
The one thing the team will be keeping an eye on is the wind factor, with two days of heavy wind seen on Sunday and Monday, and more expected on Tuesday, although it should die down quite a bit by the time the game gets under way in the evening.
“The wind is going to be a major factor. It is the one thing we noticed as soon as we got in. It is a lot windier than anywhere else we’ve played, so we will keep that in the back of our minds. But I think the wicket normally plays really good here, so it should be good for batting,” said Masakadza.
The action starts at 6pm.
Obviously now it’s a different ballgame, T20 cricket. A lot of the skills are more pressured