An unparalleled cricket nursery

The 26^th High Schools cricket week since the unification of South African Cricket in 1994, is being played in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands this week, although the tournament has been running, in various guises, since 1940.

It has never been hosted by the KZN Inland union before, but it has been in this part of the country before, most recently in 2013 when Kearsney College was the venue and KZN Coastal the host province. That week will be remembered as the one at which Kagiso Rabada announced himself and, five years later he was the number one bowler in the world. South Africa won the 2014 ICC under-19 World Cup, with the majority of the players in their ranks, having appeared at the Khaya Majola Week the year before. Rabada was the undoubted star of the week, along with Aiden Markram who, ironically, did not play in the Khaya Majola Week.

That fact emphasises the importance of the Khaya Majola Week as a nursery of international cricketers, while making the important point that missing selection at this level is not the end of the world for a young cricketer.

That said, the record shows that the majority of Protea players in the various formats of the game who have been capped since 1994 played at the week and just about every one of the team currently in action against England appeared there.

In all 91 graduates of the week have gone on the represent the country including the most recent crop - Anrich Nortje, George Linde, Zubayr Hamza, Bjorn Fortuin, Senuran Muthusamy, Sinethemba Qeshile and Lutho Sipamla.

Whereas the majority of South African Schools players have come from a relatively small number of schools – the top three are Grey High School (24), Grey College (16) and King Edward VII School (15) – the picture is changing as Cricket South Africa’s efforts to transform the sport and provide opportunities to all players begin to bear fruit.

The talent development pipeline has been widened though the establishment of Regional Performance Centres (RPCs) and Development Hubs in rural areas and through the designation of schools where potential has been identified but who are struggling as CSA Focus Schools who receive assistance from the association.

Players emerging from those structures are being picked up by the mainstream cricketing schools and are being offered bursaries, and are being included in CSA’s talent acceleration programmes.

East London’s Hudson Park High School is a Focus School that is making an impact. Nine SA Schools players have come from the school since 2014, putting them 9^th on the list of schools producing SA Schools caps. Sinethemba Qeshile, selected for the Proteas T20 team in 2019, is a product of the school.

There are graduates of the talent acceleration programme in many of the teams who are in action in the Midlands this year and, no doubt, a few of them are destined for higher honours.

The full list of Proteas players who have come through the Khaya Majola Week since 1994 is:

1 Neil McKenzie, 2 Zander de Bruyn, 3 Mark Boucher, 4 Nantie Hayward, 5 Makhaya Ntini, 6 David Terbrugge, 7 Loots Bosman, 8 Victor Mpitsang, 9 Boeta Dippenaar, 10 Johan van der Wath, 11 Jacques Rudolph, 12 Mfuneko Ngam, 13 Justin Ontong, 14 Robin Peterson, 15 Jon Kent, 16 Albie Morkel, 17 Graeme Smith, 18 Johan Botha, 19 Monde Zondeki, 20 Ashwen Prince, 21 Thami Tsolekile, 22 Johan Louw, 23 Justin Kemp, 24 Alviro Petersen, 25 Garnett Kruger, 26 Andre Nel, 27 Dewald Pretorius, 28 Friedel De Wet, 29 Dale Steyn, 30 Hashim Amla, 31 JP Duminy, 32 AB de Villiers, 34 Morne Morkel, 35 Ryan McLaren, 36 Rory Kleinveldt, 37 Vernon Philander, 38 Morne Van Wyk, 39 Andrew Puttick, 40 Richard Levi, 41 Faf du Plessis, 42 Colin Ingram, 43 Roelof Van der Merwe, 44 Vaughn Van Jaarsveld, 45 Imraan Kahn, 46 Wayne Parnell, 47 Rusty Theron, 48 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 49 David Miller, 50 Dean Elgar, 51 Kyle Abbott, 52 Quinton de Kock, 53 Henry Davids, 54 Marchant de Lange, 55 Aaron Phangiso, 56 Farhaan Berhadien, 57 Dewald Pretorius, 58 Stiaan Van Zyl, 59 Dane Piedt, 60 Bueran Hendricks, 61 Rilee Rossouw, 62 Simon Harmer, 63 David Wiese, 64 Mthokozi Shezi, 65 Reeza Hendricks, 66 Kagiso Rabada, 67 Dane Villas, 68 Temba Bavuma, 69 Eddie Leie, 70 Chris Morris, 71 Tabriaz Shamsi, 72 Andile Phuhlukwayo, 73 Keshav Maharaj, 74 Dwaune Pretorius, 75 Heino Kuhn, 76 Dane Paterson, 77 Duanne Olivier, 78 Magasilo Moshele, 79 Jon Jon Smuts, 80 Lungi Ngidi, 81 Theunis de Bruyn, 82 Wiaan Mulder, 83 Khaya Zondo, 84 Gihahn Cloete, 85 Rassie Van Dussen, 86 Anrich Nortje, 87 George Linde, 88 Zubayr Hamza, 89 Bjorn Fortuin, 90 Senuran Muthusamy, 91 Sinethemba Qeshile, Lutho Sipamla.

Day three of the Khaya Majola Week sees each team play two T20 matches. The summarised scorecards of Wednesday’s clashes are:

Morning games

Gauteng 166/5 (Heinrigh Pieterse 65, Jack Lees 43, Michael Copeland 39*); Easterns 130/8 (Neil Bothma 50, WP Myburgh 36*; Heinrigh Pieterse 3/24). Gauteng won by 36 runs.

Northerns 184/5 (Simeon de Bruyn 78, Hanu Viljoen 40; Nathan Wolff 1/18); Border 126/3 (Stuart Els 41, Watson Challen 35, Emihle Mgoqi 22*; Zeeshan Ismail 1/10). Northerns won by 58 runs.

KwaZulu-Natal 138/9 (Cade Carmichael 34, Jeremy Martins 24; Tyrese Karelse 3/13, Kevin de Kock 2/21); South Western Districts 140/6 (Heath Richards 48, Tyrese Karelse 36; Jeremy Martins 3/11). South Western Districts won by four wickets.

Eastern Province 125/6 (Sonwabile Tshona 40, Aiden Meyer 27, James Mullins 26; Nicol Loftie-Eaton 2/21); Namibia 85/9 (Ramon Wilmot 25, Dian Neethling 21; Aiden Meyer 4/7, Siphesihle Madlongolwana 3/11). Eastern Province won by 40 runs.

KwaZulu-Natal Inland 152/4 (Andile Simelane 45, Nicholas Hatten 42, Jaques van der Walt 38*); Northern Cape 112/6 (Foster Lubbe 31, Orapeleng Mtlhoaring 25, Boitumelo Melesi 24; Michael Frost 2/17). KwaZulu-Natal Inland won by 40 runs.

Boland 128/4 (Ruan Terblanche 53*, Andrew Whaits 30, Ruben Senekal 23; Jannie Claassens 2/15); North West 129/2 (Estiaan Schonveldt 71*, Phemelo Sepati 34; Achille Cloete 1/11). North West won by eight wickets.

Mpumalanga 92 (Wali Vayani 32; Ruan Cronjé 3/8, Pheko Moletsane 3/11, Aphiwe Nqwani 3/22); Free State 96/2 (Reeza Alexander 50*, Corné Viljoen 25; Akhulile Makatu 1/20). Free State won by eight wickets.

Limpopo 57 (Nhlamulo Mboweni 30; Raees Carr 4/8); Western Province 58/1 (Isma-eel Prince 19; Dewald Dumon 1/8). Western Province won by nine wickets.

Afternoon games

Boland 157/3 (Andrew Whaits 65, Ruben Senekal 46*, Juan Wilson 29*; Mauritius Ngupita 1/16); Namibia 110/8 (Dian Neethling 32, Divan la Cock 22, Nicol Loftie-Eaton 20; Anele Matya 3/18, Gillad Oved 2/28). Boland won by 47 runs.

Free State 136/5 (Pheko Moletsane 32*, Aphiwe Nqwani 28, Marco de Kock 24; Badaal Parag 2/25, Nsizwa Motsogi 2/27); Easterns 88/6 (Leander Lubbe 37; Brian Thaele 1/11, Michael Kershaw 1/13). Easterns won by four wickets (D/L-method).

Gauteng 138/9 (Cameron Rowe 36, Heinrigh Pieterse 33; Slindile Radebe 2/19, Zuan Swart 2/22, Jacques Vosloo 2/30); Mpumalanga 72/6 (Wali Vayani 20, Neil Henning 20; Lucky Nhleko 3/18). Gauteng won by 23 runs (D/L-method).

KwaZulu-Natal Inland 107/8 (Nicholas Hatten 50, Andile Zondi 29; Kevin de Kock 4/23, Heath Richards 3/6); South Western Districts 76/2 (Jhedli van Briesies 31, Lleyton Avontuur 30; Mondli Khumalo 1/10). KwaZulu-Natal Inland won by seven runs (D/L-method).

Limpopo 76 (Thomas Mayes 22; Christiaan Oberholzer 5/22, Kagiso Ngwenya 4/15); Northerns 77/1 (Jordan Hermann 35*, Christiaan Oberholzer 31; Ricardo Booysen 1/13). Northerns won by nine wickets.

North West 124/7 (Christopher de Freitas 58, Francois Viviers 21*; Tiaan van Vuuren 2/21); Eastern Province 125/2 (Nicholas Keevy 59*, Luke Beaufort 36; Odirile Modikoane 1/20). Eastern Province won by eight wickets.

Border 130/7 (Stuart Els 30, Butsha Mfazwe 29, Emihle Mgoqi 28; Ali Shaik 2/21, Guy Sheena 2/24); Western Province 61/1 (Jonathan Bird 27*; Nathan Wolff 1/18). Western Province won by nine wickets (D/L-method).

Northern Cape 131/6 (Erlank Barnard 74*, Foster Lubbe 23; Jordan Hendrikse 2/29); KwaZulu-Natal 113/8 (Jeremy Martins 44, Cade Carmichael 23; Boitumelo Melesi 2/8, Michael Jantjies 2/15). KwaZulu-Natal won by two wickets (D/L-method).