Western Province batsmen Daniel Smith and Valentine Kitime have been named in the South Africa Emerging squad for this month’s five limited-overs fixtures against Zimbabwe Emerging in Tshwane.
Former Western Province seamer Siya Plaatjie, who has since joined the Warriors, has also been included in the South Africa Emerging squad.
“We have a well-balance squad that has worked hard for the past three months at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria,” said South Africa Emerging head coach Malibongwe Maketa.
“They’re looking forward to the series as it’s almost like a nice reward to put into practice what we have been working on for the past three months.
“The whole aim of the National Academy is to prepare these players to get ready for the next level and this series will provide the opportunity to come up against international opposition and really put their skills to the test.
“As coaches, we’re looking forward to having the guys play in different situations and roles, and ultimately see how they respond to playing under pressure.
“The players have also had the opportunity to work with national coaches in the build-up to this series, including sessions with Test head coach Shukri Conrad and bowling coach Piet Botha, as well as Proteas white-ball fielding coach Wandile Gwavu.”
The series will start on 13 August and end on 23 August. All five matches will be played at the Groenkloof Oval.
South Africa Emerging squad
- Mitchell van Buuren (Lions, captain)
- Liam Alder (Warriors)
- Matthew Boast (Titans)
- Okuhle Cele (Dolphins)
- Michael Copeland (Rocks)
- Jordan Hermann (Warriors)
- Valentine Kitime (Western Province)
- Andile Mogakane (Warriors)
- Peter Nqaba (Lions)
- Siya Plaatjie (Warriors)
- Joshua Richards (Lions)
- Daniel Smith (Western Province)
- Musa Twala (Titans)
- George van Heerden (Warriors)
- Nealan van Heerden (Warriors)
South Africa Emerging squad management
- Malibongwe Maketa (head coach)
- Mandla Mashimbyi (Assistant coach)
- Ashler Serwadi (team manager)
- Tumi Masekela (strength and conditioning coach)
- Arishana Maghoo (physiotherapist)
- Hendrikus Coetzen (video analyst)