Five Players to watch at Khaya Majola Week of 2023
With the annual Khaya Majola Week taking place from 16 to 20 December, we decided to have a look into the crystal ball and pick our five cricketers at the week to keep an eye on.
Catch all the action live from the Khaya Majola Week on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com). The main match of each day will also be broadcasted live on DStv Channel 216.
With the excitement growing about the growth of the game with new tournaments like the SA20, which incorporated rookie signings from next year and the u19 World Cup to be hosted in South Africa, this year’s tournament is one you don’t want to miss.
The next ICC World Cup will also be hosted by South Africa in 2027. Some of these five players or maybe all five could be in line to represent the Proteas at this prestigious event in four years.
FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Lhuan-dré Pretorius (Central Gauteng Lions)
The Southpaw has had a fantastic 2023 to date. With an SA20 contract sealed and appearances in the South African Emerging squad that won the CSA Division Two One Day Cup title, Pretorius has made himself well-known as a destructive top-order batsman, able to compete at the highest level.
These performances, including, a pivotal 76 runs in the One Day Cup final versus a strong Itec Knights side, have earned him a spot in the SA u19 side which will host the World Cup on home soil early in 2024.
In a rich vain of form, Pretorius will look to kick on and make the 2023 tournament his own, cementing his promising future in the circles of South African cricket.
Kwena Maphaka (Central Gauteng Lions)
The young left-arm fast bowler has been labeled to follow in the footsteps of fellow ex-St Stithians quick Kagiso Rabada, making his first SA u19 appearance at the tender age of only 15 years old.
Mapakha, too, was in action for the same SA Emerging side alongside Pretorius and Saints teammate Richard Seletswane. He was recently signed by the Paarl Royals as a rookie signing, falling under the new addition to the highly successful SA20 competition.
Maphaka also impressed the Lions’ selectors, which earned him his debut at the senior professional level for the Betway Lions in the CSA Division One Four-Day competition where he claimed his first wicket in Proteas opening batsman Matthew Breetzke at St George’s Park.
Maphaka also made his first-class debut during the season as Protea’s red ball coach, Shukri Conrad, included him in his South African A-squad for a tour through Sri Lanka.
Riley Norton (Boland)
An impressive young sporting talent from Paul Roos Gimnasium down in the Western Cape, Riley Norton has excelled in both cricket and rugby. Norton was selected as part of the SA Schools rugby side earlier in 2023 and most recently joined Pretorius and Mapakha in the u19 World Cup Squad as they prepare to take on the world’s best at the u19 level.
In 2021 Norton received the accolade of player of the year at the CSA u16 Week. In 2022 he went one better booking a place in the SA Colts side and later on attended the prestigious Cubs Week. If he manages to break through to earn a place in the SA Schools side, he will become only the 15th player to do so, being the third forward to do so as well.
Riley Norton will certainly be one to watch among a strong Boland side at this year’s tournament.
David Teeger (Central Gauteng Lions)
David Teeger is one of South Africa’s best young batsmen at the moment. Teeger has already had a taste of international cricket, leading the South African u19 side on their tour to Bangladesh in June of 2023. He will do so again in 2024 as the man in charge of the young South African side hoping to bring home the trophy for the first time since 2013.
He, too, was in action for the SA Emerging side that won the CSA Division Two One Day Cup, top-scoring with a memorable unbeaten 95 runs from just 70 deliveries, against an unbeaten Itec Knights side at the time.
With ambitions to don the Green and Gold in the not-so-distant future Teeger will aim to use this year’s tournament as a stepping stone to achieve his goal.
Tristan Luus (Titans)
Being an exciting young fast bowling prospect, Tristan Luus has taken the South African schools and domestic scene by storm. The Waterkloof pupil’s sheer pace has made many a supporter and selectors shift to the end of their seats.
So much so that, like the before mentioned four, he will be in action for his country in the u19 World Cup next year and played his part in the SA Emerging side’s wonderful campaign in the Division Two One Day Cup.
He, however, has encountered some struggles with injuries in recent times, making the Khaya Majola Week an important one for the young fast bowler as he aims to get back to the fiery Tristan Luus South Africans have come to know about.
