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SA and Zimbabwe clash in baseball world cup qualifier at Boksburg Stadium

The winner will represent Africa during the 33rd WBSC U18 World Cup in Japan in September.

South Africa is hosting Zimbabwe in a World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) U18 World Cup African qualifier to battle for a spot in the U18 world cup in Japan from September 5 to 14.

The two countries meet in a five-match series at the Boksburg Cardinals main diamond with a double header today, another double header tomorrow and the final match on Sunday (January 19) morning.

The winner will represent the continent during the 33rd edition of the global showpiece at the Okinawa Cellular Stadium.

SA has assembled a strong 20-man squad comprising players from Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Limpopo, selected after an all-star camp held in Cape Town.

Also Read: Benoni Indians honours players at end of season awards

The boys will be led by a strong technical team headed by coach Dean Mckinnon and his assistants Kyle Titus, Gavin Bennett, Thabo Letsoalo, Mark du Plessis and Daniel Coetzer.

Bennett is confident the team will upset the Zimbabweans to qualify for the world cup.

“The competition is going to be tight. We don’t know Zimbabwe have got. We’ve assembled quite a strong side. We’ve got the strength and depth to win the qualifier,” he said.

“We had 56 players at the all-star camp and we cut it down to 20 and five non-travelling reserves. This isn’t the side that will go to Japan but I think we’ve enough depth. We have players from Limpopo, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng. It’s a nice mix of talented players. We held some nice bonding sessions this week.”

Boksburg Cardinals players Dean du Plessis, Lefa Motaung and Joshua Botha and Benoni Indians’ Caelum Stroberg and Connor Steyn are part of the 20-man squad while Boksburg’s JP Samouilhan and Benoni’s Ryan McAllister are reserves.

Matches:

• January 17 at 09:30 and 14:00
• January 18 at 09:30 and 14:00
• January 19 at 08:30.

Also Read: Benoni Indians looking for players

   

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