Four new signings in Warriors squad named for new season
Head coach Robin Peterson believes the quartet of new acquisitions will be a breath of fresh air for his Gbets Warriors side when they tackle the all-important 2022/2023 season which kicks off later this year.
Peterson, together with high the performance consultant for Cricket Eastern Cape, Shafiek Abrahams, were speaking exclusively to The Herald as they released the squad for the upcoming campaign.
Gqeberha-born fast bowler Ziyaad Abrahams returns to his home province, where he will be joined by Beyers Swanepoel, Jordan Hermann and Kgaudisa Molefe, who will all add substance to the 16-man Warriors lineup.
Additionally, Siya Plaatjie, Tiaan van Vuuren, Joshua Chippendale and Dyllan Matthews have all been awarded Warriors high performance contracts.
Apart from the new additions, and the departures of Eddie Moore, Dane Paterson, Lizo Makhosi, Alindile Mhletywa and Jon-Jon Smuts during the transfer period, the Eastern Province franchise remains pretty much unchanged and will be looking to build on a largely successful red ball campaign.
“I have met the new guys already and have had conversations with them about what to expect when they come down here,” Peterson said.
“Having said that, these are hard-working cricketers with strong mentalities, so there is not much you have to change.
“They will come in and work, give you that steeliness you want in the group, so we know these guys will be around and play a lot of cricket for us.
“For the rest, we have had our chats. I have a relational history with them, so they know what I am about, I know what they are about and they know they are coming here to work.
“On the overall squad, we have had our debriefing chats regarding all our competitions at the season end.
“We tried seeing what the things were that we were happy about, but also looking at areas we weren’t happy with, where we need to continue working.
“The squad has bought into that, and when we get together for our preseason preparations, we will begin to plot out that strategy and put it into action,” he said
Peterson said in a meeting at St George’s Park on Thursday morning: “We have kept the core of the team together, even though a lot of focus has been on the players that have left us. We have guys who are at a good age, who have been around long enough, 30 or just over 30, so they are in the prime of their cricket, and others who are around 26-27.
“A lot of the guys are quite young but we don’t just put youngsters in for the sake of playing a youngster, they have to be good and we know that they can perform,” Peterson, a former SA under-19 technical consultant, said.
“When we put a youngster out there, it is not a case of us hoping, it is a case of us believing that you can do something and make a difference for us in the game.
“With Glenton Stuurman, Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje, who are the core of our bowling resources, missing for a large part of last season, it gave us an opportunity to give guys like Tiaan van Vuuren and Akhona Mnyaka [a chance] so they can build experience.
“Hopefully, with that experience and another hard preseason, they will be able to deliver more consistently as they gain more experience.”
Warriors squad for 2022/2023 season: Matthew Breetzke, Wihan Lubbe, Sinethemba Qeshile, Beyers Swanepoel, Jordan Hermann, Marco Jansen, Glenton Stuurman, Rudi Second, Akhona Mnyaka, Lesiba Ngoepe, Diego Rosier, Tristan Stubbs, Ziyaad Abrahams, Kgaudisa Molefe, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Tsepo Ndwandwa.