With the Africa T20 Cup set to start this week, we take a look at the teams competing in Group A of the 2018 edition.

Group A hosts KwaZulu-Natal Inland will once again be one of the favourites in this year’s competition, which gets under way on Friday. The Pietermaritzburg-based side are, of course, the defending champions after defeating Klopper Expert Free State in last season’s final.

Stalwarts Sarel Erwee and Kyle Nipper are back again for this year’s campaign, along with HollywoodBets Dolphins batsman Cody Chetty. Last season’s rookie Nduduzo Mfoza, who bowled brilliantly in the semi-final win over Gauteng, has also returned and the spotlight will certainly be on the slow left-armer to see how much he has improved over the past year.

Neighbours KwaZulu-Natal Coastal will provide a stern challenge, though, with Standard Bank Proteas all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo bolstering the coastal side. Arguably, the most-improved cricketer in the country, HollywoodBets Dolphins all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy will play a major role in this season’s Africa T20 Cup for his team. Muthusamy is fresh off an SA A tour to India and will be keen to show off what he has learned on the subcontinent.

Easterns will no doubt provide a stiff challenge to the two KZN teams with all-rounder Grant Thompson set to make an impact once more. The Benoni-based team also have a couple of new recruits in the form of leg-spinner Dylan Matthews and batsman Kabelo Sekhukhune from North West and Border respectively.

Matthews, though, hails from the Standard Bank Blue Chip school Wynberg Boys’ High School in the Cape, while Sekhukhune is originally an Easterns youth product who has returned home after a spell in the Eastern Cape.

The fourth team in Group A is Western Province. The boys in blue and white have endured dismal previous Africa T20 Cup campaigns, with the lack of preparation time during winter in comparison to their upcountry rivals often being the excuse.

Province, though, will be looking to improve this record under new coach, former Proteas spin bowler and World Sports Betting Cape Cobras coach, Paul Adams. It certainly is a fresh start for Adams and WP. They have overhauled their squad with the selection of two schoolboys: Bonga Makaka and Jonathan Bird. The latter was, of course, the standout performer in the South African U19 team’s first series win against England in youth ODIs since 2003 on English soil this past winter.

Standard Bank Proteas opening bowler Dane Paterson will lead the attack, alongside promising left-arm seamer Michael Cohen. All eyes will also be on new World Sports Betting recruit Janneman Malan at the top of the order, especially with Malan expected to partner his older brother, Pieter, when the franchise season gets under way.

Last, but definitely not least, the group will be completed by Uganda. The side remains largely unchanged from the team that represented Uganda at the Africa B T20 qualifiers in Rwanda recently, and the African team will benefit from previously having had South African coaches like Shukri Conrad and Barney Mohamed at their disposal.

 

GROUP A FIXTURES – PIETERMARITZBURG

Friday, 14 September

9:30am – 12:40pm

KZN Coastal vs Uganda, Pietermaritzburg Oval

Easterns vs Western Province, Varsity Oval

1:30pm – 4:40pm

Easterns vs KZN Coastal, Pietermaritzburg Oval

KZN Inland vs Uganda, Varsity Oval

 

Saturday, 15 September

9:30am – 12:40pm

KZN Inland vs Easterns, Pietermaritzburg Oval

KZN Coastal vs Western Province, Varsity Oval

1:30pm – 4:40pm

KwaZulu-Natal Inland vs Western Province, Pietermaritzburg Oval

Uganda vs Easterns, Varsity Oval

 

Sunday, 16 September

9:30am – 12:40pm

Uganda vs Western Province, Pietermaritzburg Oval

1pm – 4:10pm

KZN Inland vs KZN Coastal, Pietermaritzburg Oval

 

Photo: Carl Fourie/Gallo Images