Photo Credit: Cricket South Africa
The Cricket South Africa (CSA) Four-Day Series will be in full swing this week as the Division One teams kick-off their red-ball campaign on Thursday.
Six of the Eight Division One teams will be in action this weekend, with the Gbets Rocks taking on Dafabet Warriors in Paarl. ITEC Knights will host North West Dragons in Bloemfontein, whilst the Six Gun Grill Western Province travel to Tshwane to take on the defending champions, Momentum Multiply Titans.
Titans are the reigning champions of the CSA Four-Day Series and will go to the longer format having recently been crowned champions of the CSA T20 Challenge.
“It has been a great start to the season for us, and an exciting moment to be part of,” commented Titans captain, Sibonelo Makhanya.
“We pride ourselves with the standard of play we deliver in any format of the game, and our responsibility will be to continue with the momentum from our T20 campaign,” said Makhanya.
The Division One teams that are in action this weekend also commented ahead of the action-packed weekend.
The Warriors fell short of the title last season because of a rain-interrupted final match against ITEC Knights.
Warriors captain, Rudi Second, said; “We were unlucky last year as the rain that robbed us of the 4-Day title in Bloemfontein. We are however keen to continue with the winning form that we had in that competition last year and bring some silverware home to the Eastern Cape this season.
“The expectation is always to win and that is what the squad will aim for this season,” Second concluded.
Six Gun Grill Western Province Captain, Kyle Verreynne, said; “It is an exciting time for us as a team to see how far we can take it this season, and I am honoured to be captaining the side for this campaign.
“Our red ball squad looks really good, we have a number of players who missed out of the T20 competition due to injury and will be making their way back to the squad,” said Verreynne.
Pite van Biljon, who will be leading the ITEC Knights for the series, said; “We have seen a huge improvement with our side in the recent CSA T20 Challenge, compared to last season. We will be looking to continue with the momentum we have gained in the T20 competition and to follow through in the four-day series.
“We have started a very healthy trend and culture in the team, and we will be looking to expand on that moving forward,” said van Biljon.
North West Dragons captain, Nicky van den Bergh, said; “I am happy to be back at the park after a six month lay-off. Watching two tournaments on the side-lines has been difficult, but it will be important for us to start the series well.
“Bloemfontein is a tough start as the Knights have a very strong side. The Dragons will be ready to face the attack and we are looking forward to getting our campaign underway,” said van den Bergh.
Janneman Malan will captain the Rocks squad in their first home game of the season. “We have recently concluded a good campaign in the CSA T20 challenge. The main focus has shifted to the 4-Day Competition and we are ready for our home encounter against Warriors.
“We are in with a good squad with exciting players and are hoping to get off to a good start to the season,” said Malan.
DIVISION ONE SQUADS FOR THE UPCOMING CSA 4-DAY SERIES:
Six Gun Grill Western Province: Kyle Verreynne (Captain), Aviwe Mgijima, Beuran Hendricks, Daniel Smith, Edward Moore, George Linde, Jody Lawrence, Kyle Simmonds, Mihlali Mpongwana, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Tshepo Moreki, Yaseen Vallie.
ITEC Knights: Pite van Biljon (Captain), Gihahn Cloete (W/K), Matthew Kleinveldt, Isaac Dikgale, Patrick Kruger, Patrick Botha, Aubrey Swanepoel, Gerald Coetzee, Nealan van Heerden, Nipho Mpungose, Mbulelo Budaza, Jacques Snyman, Mbongi Mhlanga.
North West Dragons: Grant Mokoena, Wesley Marshall, Shaylen Pillay, Nicky van den Bergh(Captain, W/K), Senuran Muthusamy, Chris Britz, Khanya Cotani, Delano Potgieter, Duan Jansen, Renaldo Meyer, Kerwin Mungroo, Lwandiswa Zuma, Tumelo Thlokhwe.
Momentum Multiply Titans: Sibonelo Makhanya (c), Dean Elgar, Neil Brand, Theunis de Bruyn, Jiveshen Pillay, Musa Twala (wk), Corbin Bosch, Dayyaan Galiem, Aya Gqamane, Simon Harmer, Junior Dala, Dewald Brevis, Smangaliso Nhlebela, Matthew Boast.
Dafabet Warriors: Rudi Second (Captain), Diego Rosier, Matthew Breetzke, Lesiba Ngoepe, Jordan Hermann, Sinethemba Qeshile, Wihan Lubbe, Beyers Swanepoel, Glenton Stuurman, Ziyaad Abrahams, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Tshepo Ndwandwa, Akhona Mnyaka.
Gbets Rocks: Janneman Malan (c), Ismaeel Gafieldien, Romano Terblanche, Stiaan Van Zyl, Michael Copeland, Clyde Fortuin, Shaun Von Berg, Hardus Viljoen, Bamanye Xenxe, Achille Cloete, Khwezi Gumede.
Division Two teams are on the third round of the 4-Day Series, having already began their campaign in October.
In Division Two, four teams are in action. Northern Cape Heat takes on the Eastern Cape Iinyathi in Kimberly and Limpopo Impalas will face the Mpumalanga Rhinos in Polokwane.
Upcoming CSA 4-Day Series Fixtures: Thu – Sun: 10 – 13 November 22
Division One:
10h00: GbetsRocks vs Dafabet Warriors – Boland Park, Paarl
10h00: ITEC Knights vs North West Dragons – Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
10h00: Momentum Multiply Titans vs Six Gun Grill Western Province – SuperSport Park, Centurion
Division Two:
10h00: Northern Cape Heat vs Eastern Cape Iinyathi – Kimberley Oval, Kimberley
10h00: Limpopo Impalas Mpumalanga Rhinos – Polokwane Cricket Club, Polokwane
All matches can be streamed live on CSA YouTube Channel.
Name of Author: Cricket South Africa
Cricket South Africa (CSA) governs cricket in South Africa. Formed in 2002, it succeeded the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB) and became the sole governing body in 2008. CSA oversees all levels of cricket, including national teams for men and women, and is a full ICC member and SASCOC affiliate.
