SA Emerging U19 squad to test skills on Zimbabwe tour

Cricket SA has taken the first steps in preparation for the 2026 U19 World Cup by announcing a 15-player Emerging U19 squad to tour Zimbabwe from September 15-20.

The team will play a series of matches against the Zimbabwe U19 outfit.

Chosen from the top-performing players in the country, Gauteng’s Lions and Titans each have four players in the squad, KZN Inland have two and their coastal neighbours have three representatives.

Western Province also have four players, while there is one each from Free State and North West.

Coach Malibongwe Maketa is excited about having an extended period to work with the squad.

“I’m looking forward to this tour because normally we don’t have a lot of time to work with the U19 side,” he said.

“But this time we have a team we are going to work with for the next 18 months.”

However, he was quick to point out that while the squad features the top-performing players at the moment, it might look different in 18 months.

“These guys have the advantage that they are working with the high performance team at Cricket SA, but this doesn’t mean they should rest on their laurels.

“Any player in this squad can be overtaken by another player along the way.”

The selectors picked a squad of five seamers, two spinners, two all-rounders and six specialist batsmen.

There was an emphasis on picking players with several skills — batsmen who can bowl and are relatively good in the field, bowlers who can bat and field, or batsmen who can keep wicket and might provide one or two overs with the ball.

“Cricket is evolving,” Maketa said. “The game is being dominated by players with multiple skills, one primary and then a secondary skill that adds value.

“All the batters we have in the side can bat in the top four, and we are going to be flexible with them, trying them in different places.

“For instance, we know Adnaan Lagadien is a fantastic opener, but we want to equip him with the ability to bat anywhere in the top four.”

On tour the players will be exposed to different conditions and tougher opposition than they are used to facing.

The Zimbabwe U19 side is composed of players two years older than the SA contingent.

They will be pushed to their limits which will help Maketa and his coaching staff identify the gaps in each player’s game.

“We want to equip these guys with the skills to make decisions under pressure and this is the first step in that direction,” the coach said.

“We don’t want to be actively having to coach them during the 2026 World Cup as we did with the last cohort.”

Emerging U19 squad: JJ Basson, Dayalan Boyce, Daniel Bosman, Mohammed Bulbulia, Ben Hockly, Paul James, Luke Kleinsmith, Adnaan Lagadien, Dakalo Leketa, Bayanda Majola, Lethabo Phahlamohlaka, Rowen Rajah, Jason Rowles, Ntando Soni, Jorich van Schalkwyk

SuperSportSchools.com