Iinyathi captain Jerry Nqolo will link up with the Warriors in the Mzansi Super League. Picture: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix
Johannesburg - Five Border players were selected in the Mzansi Super League mini draft on Friday night, indicating the impact the East London-based side had on the Cricket SA T20 Knock Out competition.
While Border, aka the Inyathi, didn’t qualify for playoffs in that tournament, their style of play was certainly eye-catching, and of the seven Division Two teams, their players proved the most popular.
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The ‘mini draft’ as Cricket SA termed it, allowed the eight Division One teams, who will contest the re-jigged MSL, to pick two players from the second Division to boost their ranks, for what is the country’s premier T20 competition. The tournament will be held in Gqeberha in February next year
Border’s provincial neighbours, the Warriors, drafted Jerry Nqolo and Clayton Bosch, the pair who shared a boisterous partnership in the final Pool A match against them in Kimberley last month.
Western Province also drafted two players from their former coach Paul Adams’ new team, with young leg-spinner Nqaba Peter and fast bowler Gideon Peters, set to turn out in blue early next year.
The fifth Border player to be drafted was hard hitting opener, Marco Marais, who will head to the Titans and provide that side with some much needed aggression at the top of the order.
MINI-DRAFT | ROUND 2 | PICK 4@WP_Blitz grab the man with plenty of pace from @IinyathiCricket, seam bowler Gideon Peters#MSLT20 #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/fjGOHoZr0a
— Mzansi Super League 🔥 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦 🏏 (@MSL_T20) October 22, 2021
Two players who grabbed the spotlight in the T20 Knock Out, left arm seam Kwezi Gumede, and Herschell America will be representing the North West Dragons.
The new T20 KO champions the Free State Knights, called up the experienced Cameron Delport, who will have the big shoes of Rilee Rossouw to fill. Rossouw, according to Knights coach Allan Donald won’t be available for the tournament owing to a prior commitment in another league.
The MSL will take place from February 7 to 28 next year.
MSL ‘Mini Draft’
North West Dragons: Kwezi Gumede (Easterns), Herschell America (SWD)
Boland Rocks: Onke Nyaku (SWD), Jurie Snyman (Easterns)
Free State Knights: Cameron Delport (KZN-Inland), Aubrey Swanepoel (Northern Cape)
Eastern Province Warriors: Jerry Nqolo (Border), Clayton Bosch (Border)
Northerns Titans: Marco Marais (Border), Johan van Dyk (Northern Cape)
KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins: Evan Jones (Northern Cape), Rubin hermann (Mpumalanga Rhinos)
Western Province: Nqaba Peter (Border), Gideon Peters (Border)
Central Gauteng Lions: Grant Thomson (Easterns, Malcolm Nofal (Limpopo Impalas)
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