Saturday, December 9, 2017

Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week: Border Players to look out for Akhona Mnyaka and Jason Niemand





Name: Akhona Mnyaka
Age: 18
Team: Border
School: Hudson Park High School
Batting and Bowling Skills: Left Arm Bowler/Right-Handed Batsman
Previous Provincial weeks: u13, u15 and u19
Bowling performance in the 2016/17 Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week? I had a great week and it was capped off when I managed to make the Coca-Cola® SA Schools team.
Who is your cricketing hero and why is he your hero? My cricket hero is Australian cricketer Mitchel Starc, because he is left handed and bowls with control and accuracy.
Do you have a non-cricket hero and why have you chosen this person?  My dad Bonakele and mom Bulewela. They have played a very important role in my life. They have taught me the importance of maintaining your high standards, being disciplined, working hard and having respect, which I have implemented in my cricket and my life.
What do you think makes a hero? People look up to you so you need sot be humble and you need to set and example on and off the field. You must never forget that your actions can influence someone else.
What are you expecting from this year’s tournament? I am expecting another good tournament. Border has a very strong team this year with a mixture of players playing their first Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week and with players that are playing in their first week. We also have players that have played for the Coca-Cola® SA U19 team and players that have played first class cricket.
What are your cricketing highlights for 2017 so far? I have had a very good season so far, I would say my highlight is a hattrick that I took against Kingswood College.
What do you think of the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day initiative? I have not won the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day award at the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket week but I did win the award at the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools in March this year and I also won the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Tournament. It was great to win those awards because I won them for my contribution to helping my team win our semi-final against Wynberg.
Which players are you looking forward to playing against? I am not looking forward to playing against anyone in particular but I am looking forward to playing against certain teams like Northerns and Western Province, Border's first two games of the tournament.








Name: Jason Niemand
Age: 18
Team: Border
School: Hudson Park High School
Batting and Bowling Skills: Right-Hand Batsman/Right-Arm offbreak
Previous Provincial weeks: U15, U17 and last years U19 week.
Batting and/or bowling performance in 2016/17 Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week: I struggled a little at the beginning of the week but I had a good chat to my coach and I got some of my confidence back
Who is your cricketing hero and why is he your hero?
Michael Clark and Virat Kohli, I really like the way they lead their respective teams from the front. I enjoy the intensity and quality of their batting and I enjoy how they perform in the tough stages of a game.
Do you have a non-cricket hero and why have you chosen this person?  
My father, Guy Niemand, because he has sacrificed so much for me and my game, he is also always at my games and no matter how I perform on the field he will treat me the same off the field. He is extremely supportive of me in my sport and my sister in her art.
What do you think makes a hero?
For me a hero is some that when the chips are down and their backs are against the wall they stand up take their team over the line. He also sets a good example on and off the field.
What are you expecting from this year’s tournament? I am expecting a tough competition between the teams. There are a lot of players that have already played first class and list-A matches that will be playing in the week and even though they might have an advantage there are a lot of other kids that are hungry to do well and will not be intimidated by the rest of the players. We have a good team and I believe that we have a good chance to play in the final match of the tournament, I personally would like to help my team get there.
What are your cricketing highlights for 2017 so far? I have two highlights this year, my first is that, in March, I helped my school make the Coca-Cola® T20 School Challenge finals and my second is that I scored 85* in helping Border chase down 354 runs to win one day cup match against Western Province. It was the highest successful run chase in South African domestic cricket and on the way to chasing the score, Chris Jonker and I, nearly got the record for the highest 5th wicket partnership in South Africa.
Which players are you looking forward to playing against? Hermann Rolfes (Northerns)









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