JOHANNESBURG – The Coca-Cola Schools T20 Challenge, South Africa’s premier schools cricket tournament, has kicked off and will once again be casting a spotlight on the best up and coming, young cricket talent in South Africa.
This year, Coca-Cola South Africa, in partnership with Cricket South Africa (CSA) and SA batsman, Temba Bavuma, will be on the lookout for outstanding young players to be part of the T20 All-Star Team.
The new addition to the tournament is aimed at spreading the talent search net wider and will see tournament ambassador, Temba Bavuma, and a team of cricket experts, attend all six of the Schools T20 Challenge franchise finals in search of outstanding players in the teams that do not qualify for the national finals.
This team will comprise 12 players, two from each franchise final and will play in a curtain-raiser against a CSA Development Hub team during the Schools T20 Challenge National Finals.
“I’m very excited to join Coca-Cola on this journey of searching for some of South Africa’s excelling youth cricketers,” said Bavuma.
“I’m incredibly proud to be associated with the Coca-Cola Schools T20 Challenge and as a player, I believe that this is a great platform for young cricketers to showcase their skills and gain valuable experience. I look forward to seeing all the talent that will be unearthed this year,” he added.
The Schools T20 Challenge is fast becoming synonymous with showcasing the best, up and coming in South African cricket talent. Since its inception, the tournament has seen SA superstars, Quinton de Kock, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, and Lungi Ngidi, as well as recently-appointed Proteas ODI captain Aiden Markram in the mix.
The three-day national finals will take place at the University of Pretoria Cricket Oval from March 16 to 18, and will see the six franchise winners, as well as two of the best schools out of CSA’s Focus Schools programme, battle it out to be named the 2018 Schools T20 Challenge champions.