CAPE TOWN – South Africa U-19 coach Shukri Conrad has begun putting in place the building blocks for the next ICC U-19 World Cup in 2022.
Conrad, who recently succeeded former coach Lawrence Mahatlane, will conduct two CSA Under-19 Talent Acceleration Programme (TAP) camps over the next fortnight.
The first group of 22 players, who fall under the inland regions – the Titans, the Lions and Knights – will spend this coming weekend together at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria. The first camp runs from 23-26 October.
Focus will then shift to the coastal regions with a further 22 players that come from the Warriors, the Cape Cobras and the Dolphins gathering in Port Elizabeth from 27-29 October.
The camps form an important phase of the under-19 development pipeline with the aim of up-skilling those that are attending and working on further identifying their strengths and to help improve them.
“This is the first camp after the Under-19 World Cup that was hosted by South Africa earlier this year and we are now essentially looking towards the next World Cup in 2022,” Conrad said.
“It’s both about talent identification, upskilling of the boys and looking towards who will be eligible for that World Cup scheduled for the West Indies.”
Conrad also pointed out that the camp was one of many opportunities for players to impress, adding that the door is not closed to any player outside of this selected group.
“Players that are not part of this camp are by no means excluded from our plans,” he added. “There’s obviously still Cubs Week and many other platforms and competitions where those that are not part of these camps will have opportunities to impress us.
“This is by no means a cut and dried affair, there’s a long way to go and this is just one of the steps on that journey. However, these camps will certainly give me a head start in my planning. Especially with me being new in the role, I’ve just taken over and I’m looking forward to it.”
The squad for the U19 Inland TAP Camp is: Michael Copeland (Lions), Zack Momberg (Lions), Ronan Herman (Lions), Caleb Seleka (Lions), Simo Potelwa (Lions), Richard Seletsane (Lions), Lethabo Gulwa (Lions), Rico Fryer (Lions), Tshepo Staffa (Lions), Liam Alder (Lions), Katime Valentine (Titans), Khayalethu Nyamethe (Titans), Hardus Coetser (Titans), Dewald Brevis (Titans), Nathan Steyn (Titans), Kyle Welman (Titans), SW Kemp (Titans), Ryan Maxl (Titans), Christian Daniels (Titans), Jabulani Nkosi (Titans), Reuben du Toit (Titans), Nkanyiso Mkhize (Titans).
The squad for the U19 Coastal TAP Camp is: Nicholas Keevy (Warriors), Jade Smith (Warriors), Adam du Plessis (Warriors), George van Heerden (Warriors), Ayabonga Tongo (Warriors), Thorne Eli (Warriors), Ethan Frosler (Warriors), Joshua Stevenson (Warriors), Matt Fourie (Warriors), Bonga Shezi (Dolphins), Slade von Staden (Dolphins), Chad Laycock (Dolphins), Andile Semelane (Dolphins), Tristan Naiker (Dolphins), Luke Benkenstein (Dolphins), Nick Hatton (Dolphins), Ethan Cunningham (Cape Cobras), Asakhe Tsaka (Cape Cobras), Nathan Jacobs (Cape Cobras), Kamvalethu Feni (Cape Cobras), Dewald Grove (Cape Cobras), Michael Levitt (Cape Cobras).
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