KES old boy to lead young Proteas
HOUGHTON - King Edward Old Boy Tony de Zorzi has been handed the captains armband as the South African U 19 Cricket team heads to Bangladesh to defend Youth Cricket’s ultimate prize.
King Edward V11 School (KES) old boy, Tony de Zorzi, has been handed the captain’s armband as the South African U19 cricket team heads to Bangladesh to defend their title at the U19 Cricket World Cup.
De Zorzi is another product of the KES machine that consistently produces world-class cricketers which include South Africa’ most successful captain Graeme Smith, as well as Neil McKenzie and Quinton de Kock among others.
The 18-year-old is no stranger to leadership as he has captained the KES first team, SA Schools and the Gauteng U19 team. De Zorzi is joined by another promising young talent to come out of KES, Liam Smith, in the SA squad. Smith has been one of the top U19 run scorers and will play a vital role for the young Proteas in their title defence.
De Zorzi said his side was looking forward to the tournament and defending the title. When asked if his team felt any pressure as defending champions, he said, “I think there is already enough pressure going into the first match without us having to worry too much about the end of the tournament before we’ve even begun it.
“As a team, we have said that we are going to try to keep it simple and take each game as it comes. Sticking to our strengths and working at enhancing them and perfecting the basics will see the rest take care of itself.”
The tournament is from the 27 January to the 14 February and South Africa’s first match will be against hosts Bangladesh.
