{"id":330,"date":"2020-01-16T15:08:17","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T13:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cricket.supersportschools.com\/junior-proteas-excited-to-take-on-the-world-as-world-cup-kicks-off\/"},"modified":"2020-01-16T15:08:17","modified_gmt":"2020-01-16T13:08:17","slug":"junior-proteas-excited-to-take-on-the-world-as-world-cup-kicks-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=330","title":{"rendered":"Junior Proteas \u2018excited\u2019 to take on the world as World Cup kicks off"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-221\" src=\"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/NewsGBryceParsons-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"NewsGBryceParsons\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/NewsGBryceParsons-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/NewsGBryceParsons.jpg 692w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>The South Africa under-19s are filled with excitement as they strive to make the nation proud ahead of their ICC under-19 Cricket World Cup opening match against Afghanistan in Kimberley on Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The youth tournament that has seen the emergence of current Standard Bank Proteas like Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock, will be hosted in South Africa between 17 January \u2013 09 February 2020 across four cities: Kimberley, Potchefstroom, Bloemfontein, and Benoni. This is 20 years since South Africa hosted the global spectacle for the first time, in 1998.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The first game will get underway from 10h00 at the Diamond Oval and will be broadcast live on SuperSport 6. Entry into the ground is free of charge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Speaking at the team\u2019s final training session at the ground, head coach, Lawrence Mahatlane, spoke of his and the team\u2019s excitement ahead of the match and how the side will approach the contest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWe are excited,\u201d Mahatlane began. \u201cThe boys have worked hard, put in a lot of effort and we are looking forward to the opening game of the World Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWe\u2019ve played Afghanistan twice at the beginning of last year, we\u2019ve seen them around and they are an interesting team. They\u2019ve got six spinners and five seamers, so it\u2019ll be interesting to see what mixture they put out there tomorrow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cFrom our side, it is about looking after our processes, if we do that right and our disciplines are in a good space, then I believe we\u2019ll pull through,\u201d the coach continued.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Although the South African side\u2019s recent results haven\u2019t been a true reflection of their performances, Mahatlane, and his charges can take confidence from their last two encounters against tomorrow\u2019s opponents. The SA U19s defeated the sub-continent outfit by nine runs and 55 runs respectively, during a Youth One-Day International quadrangular series in Thiruvananthapuram, India.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Playing in a home World Cup is a special moment for any cricketer, particularly as a youngster looking to make a name for yourself on the biggest stage, but it also comes with its pressures and challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThe pressure is a privilege,\u201d Mahatlane said. \u201cThe fact that you are sitting here, means that somebody has recognised that you have the ability to handle the pressure. There are many young men that are not here, that wish they were here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cFor me, it\u2019s about them expressing themselves and showing off the talents that they were given and being at home, is a very exciting thing,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The 15-man squad, led by captain, Bryce Parsons, will be looking to follow in the footsteps of those who came before them, particularly the victorious class of 2014 who picked up the country\u2019s maiden World Cup triumph.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To be successful, the young men will be counting on their fellow South Africans for support as they represent the rainbow nation, on home soil, against the rest of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Skipper Parsons\u2019 message to the South African public is for them to come out in their numbers and back these future stars during this pivotal chapter of their careers. He said: \u201cJust come out and support the boys, we\u2019ve worked really hard for this day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWe are going to expect a crowd and hopefully show you guys what we can do, be the best we can be and put on a show,\u201d he concluded.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Along with Afghanistan, the Junior Proteas will also host Canada at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom, before rounding off their Group D matches with a clash against the United Arab Emirates at the Mangaung Oval.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>SA under-19s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020 Squad:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Bryce Parsons (Central Gauteng, capt), Khanya Cotani (North West, vice-capt), Luke Beaufort (Eastern Province), Jonathan Bird (Western Province), Merrick Brett (Northerns), Achille Cloete (Boland), Gerald Coetzee (Free State), Tyrese Karelse (South Western Districts), Mondli Khumalo (KwaZulu-Natal), Jack Lees (Central Gauteng), Andrew Louw (Northern Cape), Levert Manje (Central Gauteng), Odirile Modimokoane (North West), Pheko Moletsane (Free State), Tiaan van Vuuren (Eastern Province).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>SA under-19s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Fixtures<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>January 17 &#8211;<\/strong> South Africa v Afghanistan at Diamond Oval<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>January 22 &#8211;<\/strong> South Africa v Canada at JB Marks Oval<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>January 25 &#8211;<\/strong> South Africa v UAE at Mangaung Oval\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Group Stage:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Group A:<\/strong>\u00a0India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Japan<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Group B:\u00a0<\/strong>Australia, England, West Indies, Nigeria<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Group C:<\/strong>\u00a0Pakistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Scotland<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Group D:\u00a0<\/strong>Afghanistan,\u00a0South Africa, UAE, Canada<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">[powr-comments id=&#8221;59455e97_1579179899773&#8243;]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The South Africa under-19s are filled with excitement as they strive to make the nation proud ahead of their ICC under-19 Cricket World Cup opening match against Afghanistan in Kimberley on Friday. The youth tournament that has seen the emergence of current Standard Bank Proteas like Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock, will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}