The 2019 Khaya Majola Cricket will
be played in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands from December 16th to 20th. It will
hosted by the KZN Inland Schools Cricket Union and based at Michaelhouse School
in Balgowan.
This is the 26th time
the week is being staged since the unification of South African Cricket in
1994, although the tournament has been running, in various guises since 1940.
It has never been hosted by KZN
Midlands before, although it has been in that part of the country before, most
recently in 2013 when Kearsney College was the venue. That week will be
remembered for 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 emphasizes 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 9th 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 will be in action at
Michaelhouse this year and, no doubt, many of them are destined for higher
honours.
The games begin on Monday December
16th and continue until Friday the 20th. On Saturday the 21st
the SA Schools team will play the SA Colts in a T20 game.
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, 92 Lutho Sipamla.
