Currently, the VKB Knights have all three of the former SA U19 players who were named in the team of the tournament following the 2018 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.

Gerald Coetzee, Raynard van Tonder and Wandile Makwetu are all contracted by the Knights.

Speaking to OFM Sport regarding Coetzee’s involvement in tomorrow’s Solidarity Cup match, Faul, lauded the work done by the Knights.

“He is a fantastic player and he has been on our radar. I just think that spending time with this calibre of players will help him to see how they think and how they go about their business.

“He is a star and he will benefit a lot out of it.

“He has been through our national junior teams and he has been introduced into our franchise system.

“Central South Africa seems to have all of the exciting young players, isn’t it? You’ve got Van Tonder there, you’ve got someone like Andries Gous there, and Gerald Coetzee. You’ve got a lot of young players there and working with a coach like Allan Donald who is a legend of the game.

“I think that this will do us well in the future. It has been fertile ground, the Knights franchise. It’s wonderfully managed by Zola Thamae as the president, which you’ve got to take your hat off. Then there is Johan van Heerden and if you’ve ever had a cricket man, there’s a cricket man for you. He played the game, he comes from good stock and is a fantastic cricket leader. Combine that with someone like Allan Donald and the willingness to do well.

“It is a region that wants to be competitive and they have raised head over the last couple of years as a serious franchise competitor.

“The domestic structure change and I think that will favour them as well. It is exciting times for cricket in Central SA.”

Saturday’s Solidarity Cup game at SuperSport Park in Centurion gets underway at 11:00.

Meanwhile, Thamae’s tenure as the President of Free State Cricket comes to an end on Monday. It is believed that the long-serving vice-president, Xander Snyders, will take over.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport