World Cup fever is at an all-time high in the South African u.19 national cricket camp as they head into their final challenge with a triangular series against England and Namibia in Potchefstroom from 30 November to 10 December.
The SA u.19 cricket side will participate in the 2018 u.19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand from 13 January to 3 February and will be looking to repeat the success of 2014 when they were crowned world champions.
It is, therefore, of utmost importance that they have a solid pre-World Cup campaign and their choosing of Potch and Senwes Park as their destination has once again proven the city’s track record of excellent sporting facilities. ‘We deliberately chose Senwes Park and Potch as our venue in the buildup to the World Cup as it has always been world-class with all the facilities we need to perform at our best,’ said SA u.19 coach, Lawrence Mahatlane, who is pleased with his side’s momentum and preparation ahead of the World Cup.

‘I am looking forward to this series against England and Namibia in Potch and I believe the number of matches will give us a good indication of our skill levels, where we need to improve and what combinations work best. It is an ideal time to prepare for the World Cup,’ he added.

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Mahatlane’s boys are in the same group as the hosts, New Zealand; West Indies and Kenya, in what promises to be a tough group, but one that SA can gain a lot of momentum from for the rest of the tournament. ‘We played against the West Indies this winter and we know most of the players. New Zealand, as the hosts, will be the ones to watch and, at this level, we can’t take Kenya for granted. The main goal will be to win the tournament but we need to take it one game at a time. It will be key for the players to live up to their potential, enjoy the experience and express their talents.’
The 2016 u.19 World Cup ended in disaster for South Africa when they were knocked out at the group stages and had to settle for a disappointing 9th place. This time around, Mahatlane believes that his side has enough youthful experience as some of the players like Matthew Breetzke and Jiveshan Pillay have already played first-class cricket for their provinces.
‘There is a greater maturity in this squad. We have nine guys who have played provincial cricket. I want to thank the provinces for exposing these young men to high-level cricket from an early age,’ emphasised Mahatlane.
The final 14-man squad for the u.19 World Cup will be decided on 11 December.
* The SA u.19 team will play their first match of the triangular series on Friday when they take on Namibia at Senwes Park. The SA team also took on a Pukke XI team at the Witrand Oval on Tuesday, when rain and lightning disrupted proceedings. The SA u.19 team made 235 all out before Pukke stood at 43/2 after 7 overs. Andile Mokgakane top-scored for SA with 46, while Michael Enslin was the pick of Pukke’s bowlers with 3/22.
Fixtures:
Friday 1 December – South Africa u.19 vs Namibia u.19 – Senwes Park
Sunday 3 December – South Africa u.19 vs England u.19 – Senwes Park (D/N).
Monday 4 December – South Africa u.19 vs Namibia u.19 – PUK Oval.
Wednesday 6 December – Namibia u.19 vs England u.19 – PUK Oval.
Thursday 7 December – South Africa u.19 vs England u.19 – Senwes Park (D/N).
Final – Sunday 10 December (D/N).