The Western Province Cricket Association have selected a so-called ‘WP Club XI’ squad to play three matches against Western Province at the Vineyard Oval in Claremont.
A two-day fixture on 24 and 25 February 2018 will be followed by limited-overs encounters on 2 and 3 March 2018.
“A squad of 15 players will be selected, based on performances from the past season across the various leagues like the premier league and the first division A,” said WPCA cricket services manager Clinton du Preez earlier this year.
“This is an attempt to identify players for our winter programme in preparation for the new season. We want to start the process now and have these matches played every season.
“Each player will get a representative cap and shirt for the club XI.”
Club Cricket SA can confirm the following players have been invited to play for the club XI:
- Bellville Cricket Club all-rounders Lenert van Wyk and Dewald Botha and batsman Uwe Birkenstock
- Claremont Cricket Club batsman James Cameron-Dow and leg-spinner Kyle Williamson
- Ottoman Cricket Club fast bowler Joshua Savage and batsman Taariq Behardien
- Strandfontein Cricket Club batsman Sulaiman Jaffar
- Western Province Cricket Club seamers Wesley Bedja and Ryan Klein
The rest of the squad is, as yet, unknown – and will arguably be based on the top 10 run-scorers and wicket-takers in the 2017-18 premier league and first division.
The remainder of the 2017-18 WPCA premier league, first, second, third and reserve division season was cancelled at the end of January. The decision came amid the ongoing drought across Cape Town and surrounds, where several fields have been left in disrepair due to a severe lack of water.
Western Province currently occupy second position in pool A of the Sunfoil 3-Day Cup – and recently beat Gauteng by 10 wickets in a cross-pool fixture. Their next first-class outing will be against South Western Districts in mid-March.