Developing the next generation of South African cricketers

By Erin Arends

Proteas all-rounder cricketer, Jacques Kallis playing for the Proteas against Sri Lanka, via Sport Photo Gallery.

Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn are all huge talents who have impacted the cricket world immensely. Being the third most played sport in the country, South Africa has been able to produce some of the biggest cricketing stars in the history of the sport.

Achieving the title of “best all-rounder of all time” did not occur overnight for Jaques Kallis. A lot of hard work was put into developing his skills which allowed him to receive such an honourable title. The development of any athlete begins at the junior levels and nowadays children with dreams of becoming professional athletes are privileged enough to have various resources at their disposal to grow in sport.

As a sportsperson, you are always aiming to be the best amongst your peers. A man by the name of Ziyaad Desai believes that to be the best, you have to play against the best. Ziyaad is an ex-semi-professional cricket player who found success with the Gauteng (Transvaal) Cricket Team. Today, Ziyaad strives to aid young cricketers in achieving their dreams of reaching professional levels of the sport. He has done so by creating what is known as the Cape Premier League (CPL). The CPL is a winter T20 league based in Cape Town with age groups ranging from under 10 up to under 19 and further.

Founder of the CPL, Ziyaad Desai at the conference of the foundation of CPL, via Wits University.

 During my interview with Ziyaad, he shared how the idea of creating the CPL came about. “The idea came about when I was still playing professional cricket about 14 years ago and wanted to find out if I was the best. I walked into the offices of the previous CEO of the Gauteng Cricket Board, Alan Kourie. We then went ahead and had the draft. It just grew from there and [it] has been in existence for 14 years”, explained Desai. By doing so, Ziyaad has created a platform where the best players get selected to represent the best teams and play together. The CPL currently consists of eight teams namely the Devil’s Peak Dragons, the Cape Vikings, the Peninsula Patriots, the Atlantic Pirates, the Bo-Kaap Phantoms, the District Sixers and the Hoeri Kwaggo Bulls.

Even though today the CPL caters for all ages, it hasn’t always been this way. Ziyaad stated, “It started off at the highest level and then it built its way down because kids need a pathway.” As children get older they become increasingly capable of dealing with the pressures of competing and committing to training. They can receive criticism from their coaches and apply them correctly, increasing their skill level. Hence, it’s the healthy competition and physical activity that provides them with balance which is crucial for their physical development. To provide them with the resources and facilities needed to improve their skills Desai has teamed up with a few big names in cricket. Former Proteas captain, Ashwell Prince has teamed up with the Cape Vikings as well as South African test coach, Shukri Conrad has invested his time into the Devil’s Peak Dragons. Prince and Conrad have sponsored their respective academies to witness the growth in children’s cricketing abilities.

Peninsula Patriots u13 player, Zach Arends playing in one of the CPL games in Cape Town, via Mr Hackner.

Having people who have professional experience in the world of cricket aids young children who also aspire to perform on the level that they once have is very helpful in the development of their skills. Desai mentioned that the reason for Prince and Conrad's cooperation stems from their shared passion for the sport. “It was quite simple because everybody wanted to help young players come through and create a pathway for them so that their road to the top can be a lot easier than we took”, elaborates Desai. These professional cricketers are gifting young children with the resources that they did not have access to when they were younger. Creating this league for junior players also becomes the perfect platform for their development because it takes away all [the] politics of the game and puts players against each other based on their abilities. Desai shares, “Anyone who works hard and has the ability to produce great performances will get an opportunity. It bases everything on merit and your work ethic and the results you produce”.

Young children dream of becoming professional athletes and those who have the right mentality and  set of skills work very hard to achieve this goal. This stage of a child’s life is where development happens the most. Ziyaad has taken advantage of that and opened the CPL for younger age divisions which will aid in their development in the sport. Partnering with professionals in this field also allows children to learn more from them and apply their knowledge to their own game. This platform will introduce a new wave of talented young players who would be proud to wear the Proteas badge.