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UNDER-19 WORLD CUP FORCES RESHUFFLE IN LEAGUE’S ROOKIE PACK
With the Under-19 World scheduled to overlap with Season 2 of Betway SA20, and a trio of League players picked for the South African squad, some changes to the initial class of rookies has taken place.
The junior Proteas having been in camp since late last year, so neither Lhuan-dre Pretorius (Paarl Royals) nor Steve Stolk (Pretoria Capitals) have been able to join up with the SA20 team who drafted them during the Season 2 Player Auction. Royals’ other 17-year-old recruit Kwena Maphaka is also in the national squad, but was pre-signed before last year’s rookie draft.
READ MORE: Betway SA20 trio selected for Under-19 World Cup
The big-hitting pair of Stolk and Pretorius are the incumbent openers for the national team and will be expected to set the tone during the World Cup campaign – as South Africa look to match Aiden Markram’s team of 2014 and win only their second title.
To offset the absence of Pretorius, Royals have roped in Nqaba Peter. The 21-year-old leg-spinner traded Division Two cricket with Border for the top-flight at Lions – and has made steady progress there. With Proteas spinners Tabraiz Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin in the Royals ranks, the SA20 experience is sure to benefit Peter’s development.
Paarl Royals replacement rookie, Nqaba Peter
Meanwhile, the day before Season 2 was set to start, Capitals confirmed that they had signed up Tiaan van Vuuren as their replacement for Stolk. The 22-year-old left-arm quick and lower-order batter also moved from home this off-season, leaving Eastern Province for the Knights – both second tier teams. In Capitals captain Wayne Parnell and New Zealander Jimmy Neesham, van Vuuren could hardly have better sounding boards about the ins-and-outs of being an allrounder of international standard.
This leaves Bryce Parsons (Durban’s Super Giants), Ronan Herrmann (Joburg Super Kings), Connor Esterhuizen (MI Cape Town) and Andile Simelane (Sunrisers Eastern Cape) in place from the original rookie list for the second season of South Africa’s premier T20 league.
