All-rounder Oliver Whitehead and wicketkeeper-batsman Bongile Mfunelwa have been included in Western Province’s squad for this week’s 4-Day Domestic Series fixture against the Dolphins at Kingsmead in Durban.
Whitehead and Mfunelwa have not yet been capped at first-class level.
This will be Western Province’s first first-class fixture of the 2024-25 domestic season in South Africa. They recently exited the T20 Challenge at the play-off stage.
“The preparation has started off very well for us, coming from the T20 competition and going into the four-day series. With the bat and ball, we’ve just been fine-tuning the patience that’s needed in the red ball format,” said Western Province captain Beuran Hendricks.
“With the bat, it’s obviously spending time in the middle. And then with the ball, it’s making sure that we stay consistent in areas that we need to hone in on.
“And then going up to Durban, it’s going to be a really exciting task for us. There have been some time constraints from finishing the T20s on Friday to building the load needed for four-day cricket, but the guys are ready and really excited about the opportunity to play against the Dolphins.”
Western Province lost last season’s 4-Day Domestic Series final to the Lions. Western Province have not won this title since the 2013-14 season. They were the Cape Cobras at the time.
“With us being in the final last year, we really want to make sure that we start on a good note against the Dolphins. So, yeah, it will be a really exciting week for us,” added Hendricks.
Western Province are without batsmen Tony de Zorzi, David Bedingham and other players, who are currently touring Bangladesh with the Proteas.
Western Province squad
- Beuran Hendricks (captain)
- George Linde
- Kyle Simmonds
- Oliver Whitehead
- Liyema Waqu
- Mthiwekhaya Nabe
- Mihlali Mpongwana
- Wesley Bedja
- Daniel Smith
- Valentine Kitime
- Jono Bird
- Eddie Moore
- Yaseen Vallie
- Bongile Mfunelwa