Exclusive: Future Stars Shine as Cricket SA CEO Predicts Golden Generation for Proteas

South Africa’s victory in the World Test Championship (WTC) could signal the start of a new era of Proteas domination, believes Cricket SA’s chief executive Pholetsi Moseki.

South Africa finally got over the line in an ICC final for the first time in 27 years when they beat Australia at Lord’s last month, and they haven’t taken much time to revel in that success.

They are already taking on Zimbabwe in a two-match series, and were convincing winners in the first Test. 

Though Zimbabwe are hardly a power in Test cricket at the moment, a number of players who did duty in the WTC final are missing, like injured skipper Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada, while debuts in the format have been handed to Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, and Prenelan Subrayen.

Future Trophies at KFC Mini-Cricket Seminar

“I feel this is just the beginning of many, many trophies that we as a country are going to start collecting, but I think it’s just that I’m still on a high,” Moseki told SportsBoom.co.za, exclusively at the annual KFC mini-cricket seminar at the beginning of July in Polokwane.

“I don’t know how long it will take for me to get down, but I don’t mind for as long as it takes.”

Breaking Records and Impressing with a Stunning 153

One player that stood out in the first Test against Zimbabwe was Pretorius, as he bludgeoned 153 at nearly a run a ball.

The 19-year-old became the first SA teenager to score a Test half-century on debut, beating a 61-year-old record previously held by the legendary Graeme Pollock.

The Southpaw was not done yet though, as he would go on to become the youngest-ever Test player to score 150 or more, beating another legend - Sachin Tendulkar. When he was finally out, Pretorius had faced just 160 balls as he struck 11 fours and six maximums.

“My cricket people always tell me the pipeline is pumping. And I think we can see even on the field, and I think it’s for both boys and girls."

“The pipeline is really pumping. I was very happy for the youngsters that literally raised their hands in Bulawayo the other day.”

Encouraging Youth Talent in South African Cricket

While Moseki was careful not to single out just one person like Pretorius, he was certainly encouraged by the youth coming through in SA cricket.

“It does show that there’s something right that’s happening in our cricket. Even the way the Proteas women are performing, the way the boys are performing as well, and you can see even the youngsters when they step up, they actually perform as well.

“So there’s clearly something that’s happening, and long may that continue."

“They’re doing very well. You’ve got young Kwena [Maphaka] there,  everyone forgets that he’s actually also still quite a youngster. Kwena is 19, [Dewald] Brevis is 22. Codi [Yusuf] as well.”

Of course, with the plethora of talent coming through, that will create some good headaches for the coaching staff led by Shukri Conrad. 

“All these youngsters that are basically coming up, I think it’s quite a good problem to have for the coaches - when these youngsters are basically raising their hands. I think for sports, it’s always good that people are not comfortable."

“These youngsters are really coming up strong, and I’m quite excited about the future of South African cricket.”