The SWD Cricket team is prepared and ready to make inroads in the Africa Twenty 20 Cup when they travel to Bloemfontein for this weekend’s pool games. SWD was drawn in a pool together with Gauteng, Free State and Kenya which will be contested at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein this weekend.
Matches will be screened live on Supersport and SWD Cricket also managed to secure Canon as team sponsor for the event.
The pool winner will advance to the semi-final knock out stages which will be contested the next weekend. The pool winners of the past three weekends Northerns, Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland and Kwa-Zulu Natal already booked their place in the semi-finals.
The inclusion of the Protea strike bowler, Vernon Philander, in the SWD team for the inaugural Africa Twenty20 Cup will boost SWD’s aspirations for this event. The 30 year old Philander who represented South Africa in 31 test, 28 ODI’s and 7 Twenty 20 matches will add immense value to the SWD line-up that will also include the likes of Andrew Puttick, Sybrand Engelbrecht and Mthokozise Shezi – all players from the Cape Cobra’s franchise.
Waldo Lategan, who will captain the Oudtshoorn based team that include experience SWD heroes such as Marcello Piedt, Pieter Stuurman, Luthando Mnyanda and Brendon Louw, will be full of confidence travelling to Bloemfontein. The competition rulings stipulated that two u/21 players must be in the starting eleven and the selectors included Hanno Kotze and Chris Marrow for this purpose. Kotze already represented SWD at first class level and also represented the SA u/23 colts earlier this year whilst Marrow made huge impression as a SWD schools player.
Lonwabo Rodolo had to withdraw from the team and will be replaced by Siyabonga Booi.
The squad of 13 players are: Waldo Lategan (captain), Andrew Puttick, Luthando Mnyanda, Hanno Kotze, Brendon Louw, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Vernon Philander, Marcello Piedt, Mthokozise Shezi, Siyabonga Booi, Siya Simetu, Pieter Stuurman and Chris Marrow.
SWD’s fixtures are:
Friday 25 September – vs Free State (18:00-21:00)
Saturday 26 September – vs Gauteng (13:00-16:10)
Sunday 27 September – vs Kenya (10:00-13:30)
