The next crop of future stars gathered at the Powerade Centre of Excellence in Pretoria on Thursday for the CSA Talent Acceleration Programme (TAP) camp, taking place between 11 -14 April. The squad of 28 players will take part in intense skills-based training sessions, with two inter-squad, 50-over practice matches scheduled at Sinoville Cricket Club.

Following a trying tour to the subcontinent last month, where the  South Africa U19s went up against India U19s A and B, as well as Afghanistan in a Youth One-Day International (ODI) Quadrangular series. Head coach Lawrence Mahatlane is eager to maintain the momentum ahead of a busy schedule this winter.

“It is an exciting opportunity for these young men to really go out there and express themselves and hopefully get an opportunity to get selected for future tours,” he commented during the first day’s training. “Whether you play (in future tours) or not, it doesn’t stop them from staking a claim for the World Cup early next year.

“We’ve got a couple of internal warm-up games but what is also important is that, in between and during these games, we will still have skills-based activities being done. We will also be having a lot of lectures afterwards, just working on cricket awareness, about helping them understand what is required to play at a certain level and hopefully getting them to really own that process.”

Mahatlane elaborated on what his main objectives are for the camp. He said:

“The key word for me is attitude. I am looking at what kind of attitude they have. We’ve had a couple of weeks where there has been no cricket, so we want to see where they are and how much work they have put in. They are all talented and there are more talented cricketers out there, more than this 28 that are here.

“We are looking for good character, guys who you would want to take to war with you.”

Coca-Cola South Africa under-19s TAP squad: 

Lehan Botha (Cape Cobras), Ruan Terblanche (Cape Cobras), Akeem Minnaar (Cape Cobras), Jordaan Lee Woolf (Cape Cobras), Imraan Philander (Cape Cobras), Siya Plaatjie (Cape Cobras), Achille Cloete (Cape Cobras), Francis Moran (Dolphins), Caleb Pillay (Dolphins), Mondli Khumalo (Dolphins), Lifa Ntanzi (Dolphins), Andrew Louw (VKB Knights), Ruan Cronje (VKB Knights), Pheko Moletsane (VKB Knights), Levert Manje (Highveld Lions), Bryce Parsons (Highveld Lions), Bakang Motswiri (Highveld Lions), Jamie Copeland (Highveld Lions), Khanya Cotani ( Highveld Lions), Jack Lees (Highveld Lions), Karabelo Matlawe (Highveld Lions), Odirile Modimokoane ( Highveld Lions), Wesley van der Spuy (Titans) , Jarred Jardine (Titans) (Titans), Luke Beaufort (Warrios), Emihle Mqogi (Warriors), Nonelela Yikha (Warriors), Matthew Fourie (Warriors).

- Cricket SA