Future Proteas take guard in Cricket Week
THE COCA-COLA Khaya Majola Cricket Week is where South Africa’s future cricketing heroes are made.
The tournament, which sees the country’s top under-19 teams battling it out in a week jam-packed with cricketing action, has seen nearly all of South Africa’s past and current Proteas stars come through its ranks since its inception in 1977.
With this year’s edition taking place in Bloemfontein from December 16 to 21, the 2016 generation looks set to continue this trend.
Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week is for its participants the first chance to come to the fore in South African cricket. The tournament gives them a stage to showcase their talent on a national level in the hope of being selected for the Coca-Cola SA under-19 side.
One needs only look at the talent to come out of the tournament in past years as evidence of its hero-making power. Every player to captain the Proteas since South Africa’s re-admission to international cricket in 1991, from Kepler Wessels to AB de Villiers, has taken part in at least one Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week.
Additionally, an inspection of the list of graduates reveals the magnitude of heroes to have previously graced the week. Herschelle Gibbs, Makhaya Ntini, Lance Klusener, Corrie van Zyl, Allan Donald, Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn, Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher and even former England captain Kevin Pietersen are a handful of names to have played in the past.
More recently, Proteas batsman Rilee Rossouw was the star of 2006, smashing 182 in a 50 over game – a record. Quinton de Kock was the player of the tournament in 2011 after scoring two hundreds and a 50 over the week. Both players were subsequently called up to the CocaCola SA under-19s, setting them on the path to Proteas greatness.
In addition to the heroes that will once again be made at the Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Coca-Cola will be selecting and awarding the Hero of the Day on each tournament match day. The award was launched in 2014 and has already seen some of its recipients go on to achieve success, including Rivaldo Moonsamy, Lesego Senokwane, Isma-eel Gafieldien, Sithembile Langa and Sohail Mahmould who are all now playing semi-pro and franchise cricket and carving a career for themselves in the game.
Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola’s spokesman said: “We at Coca-Cola are proud to play a part in the development of cricket’s future heroes. The Khaya Majola Cricket Week has proved its hero making ability time and time again. It is also gratifying for us to see multiple past Heroes of the Day forging a career for themselves in cricket. We can’t wait to see the talent uncovered this year.” – ANA