All-rounder Nathan Jones was named in the South Africa Over-40 squad recently.
Jones was among the top performers at May 2023’s inter-provincial tournament in Johannesburg.
He is the only Eastern Province representative in the 16-man South Africa Over-40 squad, which includes six from Western Province Over-40 and four from Lions Over-40.
“I have never played provincially or for the national team during my youth,” Jones told the Herald.
“My cricket career was only at Windhill Cricket Club, where I am still a player and the club chair.
“It has been really amazing and I think this is the start of greater things to come. Even at this age, I said to some of the guys never stop dreaming. You must also dream and you will never know what you might achieve.”
South Africa Over-40 will compete in the Africa Cup later this year and next year’s inaugural Over-40 World Cup. Earlier this year, South Africa Over-50 reached the final of the third edition of the Over-50 World Cup.
“Earlier this year, we had a player from the EP, Andre Peters, who was part of the SA Over-50 squad which competed in the World Cup,” added Jones.
“This year, it’s me doing the same in the SA Over-40 team and this is great for the region. The hard work starts now for me.”
South Africa Over-40 will be captained by former Proteas Test batsman Ashwell Prince.