Johannesburg - With just days to go before the historic Cricket South Africa (CSA) 25-Year Anniversary Gala Dinner, preparations are nearly complete to make this a truly memorable occasion.
The final touches are being put together as CSA prepares to stage a celebrated evening on Monday at the Sandton Convention Centre where a theatrical production will tell the 25-year story of CSA since its re-admission into international cricket.
The Silver Jubilee celebration dinner is one of the key events planned as part of the 25-year Anniversary Year. Nostalgia and reliving memories will be high on the agenda as part of the festivities on Monday evening.
Past and present players, coaches and managers, administrators, commercial partners and media have all been invited for a “Big Reunion”. Excitement is building up amongst those who have confirmed their attendance.
Jimmy Cook: “It is going to be a very special occasion for me, not least of all because my son, Stephen, has also joined the club and will be celebrating the moment with me. I can recall walking out to open the batting with Andrew Hudson at Eden Gardens as though it was yesterday.
It is going to be a great evening of reminiscences!” Mark Boucher: “I have been privileged to be part of 17 of the past 25 years from the time that I toured England in 1995 with the South Africa under-19 side.
My team mates then included Neil McKenzie, Ashwell Prince, Boeta Dippenaar and Makhaya Ntini and it was the start of great memories and even greater friendships. It will be wonderful to encapsulate those memories into one evening!”
Kagiso Rabada: “It has been a real thrill for me to join one of the greatest fast bowlers' clubs in the world that was kick-started by Allan Donald by his performances from the time we started playing international cricket.
I was too young to appreciate Allan at his best but there have been many other world-class bowlers since then such as Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock and Dale Steyn who have all been heroes and inspirations for me. It is going to be a wonderful experience for me to meet up with them all on Monday evening!”
“We have undertaken a remarkable journey since re-admission, one that we do not celebrate enough,” commented CSA Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat, “We should count ourselves lucky to have been part of a unique journey that started just before our new democratic South Africa.
It has been truly delightful to see the responses from current and past players, administrators, sponsors and lovers of our great game. I now feel confident that we are ready to acknowledge the past and embrace the future together.”
SuperSport will show a rebroadcast of the dinner at a date still to be confirmed.
African News Agency