AJ.....there is hope

South Africa has seen a few talented young batters shake up the cricketing world over the past few years.

Dewald Brevis made the biggest splash with his stand-out performances at the under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2022, and his franchise success that followed.

Two years later, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who is still only 19 years old, made a splatter and then a bang, first with his performances for South Africa under-19 and then with his showing in professional cricket, particularly this year’s SA20 competition.

Now there’s another young batter whose ball-striking has started echoing across the cricket fraternity. Jorich van Schalkwyk, playing for South Africa under-19, struck an undefeated 164 two weeks ago against Bangladesh’s junior representative team at Willowmore Park in Benoni.

It was the highest individual score by a South African in a youth ODI match in history. But the record didn’t stand long.

The 18-year-old broke his own record three days later when he smashed 215 against Zimbabwe in Harare.

It was the first double century struck in a youth ODI. Van Schalkwyk has well and truly made a splash.

The tidy, right-handed batter, unsurprisingly – like Brevis – idolises South African cricket legend AB de Villiers.

The pair have a few things in common. They both attended Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies), from which Van Schalkwyk matriculated last year, and both were born and raised in Bela-Bela in Limpopo.

“I would say just the way AB bats and how he can put bowlers under pressure, and just his consistency overall,” Van Schalkwyk told Daily Maverick. “I think those stats speak for themselves in that department.”

De Villiers, now 41, is currently rolling back the years in the World Championship of Legends, having already struck two centuries for South Africa Legends in the T20 competition.

Van Schalkwyk said he was keen to emulate the legendary batter. So far, apart from having the same bat sponsor as the young De Villiers — Kookaburra — he’s doing so with his clean ball striking.

Van Schalkwyk is multi-talented too, having excelled in several sports at school, but he had a single-minded approach to cricket.

“I played tennis, hockey and rugby growing up, but I gave it all up when I went to high school,” he said. “It was my choice.”

The talented youngster’s double hundred against Zimbabwe was not the first time he had crossed the 200 mark in the past 12 months either.

“I scored 240 last year against Cornwall [Hill College] in a school match, and another double hundred against Potchefstroom Gimnasium,” he said.

Van Schalkwyk is technical in his approach, batting mostly in the top three, but is not afraid of giving the ball a thump once he’s settled.

It’s not always been that way, but some physical development has helped him clear the boundary more easily and reach higher milestones.

In fact, after making every provincial youth side growing up, he missed out on under-16 selection before an uptick across the last two years helped him get where he is now.

“I’ve got bigger and stronger since,” he said. “I’ve also practised harder across the last two years than ever before.”

The foundation for his rise through the ranks is down to his father, according to Van Schalkwyk. He was raised on a farm that initially had only wild game, but after Covid-19 the family farm pivoted to cattle and sheep as well.

It was on the farm that his father put up a bowling machine, threw down some concrete for a pitch and rained down balls on his son.

“My dad was actually really tough on me,” Van Schalkwyk said about his father, Heinrich. “I didn’t really want to practise some days, but it turned out pretty well. I love my dad.

“We trained every day. When I was in grades two and three we trained about five days a week.”

“Alongside AB [de Villiers], my dad is one of my biggest idols,” the youngster said. “Just how hard he works and how inspiring he is for me. I can’t talk about it too much or I get emotional.”

He learned the game as a toddler watching his father play for a local side, while he was on the sidelines playing his own game, which instilled his love of the sport. It’s why he chose to pursue cricket despite showing promise in tennis at a young age too.

“I would say I was pretty good at tennis as well, and I had a lot of practice sessions,” said Van Schalkwyk, who is currently studying towards a BCom degree in Marketing at the University of Pretoria.

“I had good coaches with tennis, like cricket, but at the end of the day it was just my choice. I just enjoyed cricket more.”

So far that joy has taken him to great heights at the junior level, although senior international cricket is where he wants to make a real splash, just as his cricketing idol did before him. DM

*************************

He's started in the right direction with AB as his hero.......I'll say no more.

il2g

Happy days.

Think you mean Oz not England?

Think you mean Oz not England?

No ....................

There is a major problem in SA Cricket and that relates to racial issues and that is that the supply of non-white batssmen have decreased to near to non-existent level and all three joungsters you mentioned are Whites,

In the case of bowlers the qquestion arises how much longer Rabada and Maharaj will last - the other bowlers are all second rate when it came to Black and Indian players.

So unlike rugby noiw supported by the vast majrity of Blacks - cricket is on a weak ground and the sport is not growing in the Black commnity, That leaves cricket in a real racial dilemma that has the potential to reduce the team for choosing below par players on National level where quota racist selection is the norm

Correct Mike, that is the reality, the quota will kick in at the expense of a team picked on merit. 30 odd years and the system has only produced shall we say one average+ black batsman.

Denny

The fact is that the Under 19's S A Team is playing Zimbabwe and the Van Schalkwuyk chap has been left out of the under 19 SA team.

I took at a look at the SAC contracted players. I do think the vast majority of the comtraced palyers are cricket geriatrics over the age of 30 years

Two people sustained serious injuries in a violent farm attack along Uitkyk Street in Franschhoek.

***********

'Thirty-two people were shot, six fatally, in citywide gun violence from 5 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, marking the most violent non-holiday summer weekend so far this year in Chicago.'

What's the difference?

The difference is that in SA farm attacks are happening every month - but the attacks are usually lnked to poor policing and poitical incitement of such attacks by Malema and Zuma.

The situation in Chicgo stems from two problems making Chicago and New Orleans the top two murder cities most dangerous to live in in both North and South America. So what cause. that:

! Chicago is a city where Democratic Pary criminals rule the Municipality, The Soros policies on crime is fully implement by DA's whose election Those two policies entail scrappng of 95 different crimes where criminals is not prosecuted or - that creates a sense of being above the law when it cames to prosecutions.

2 Chicago is a sanctuary city where illegal migrants are protected and they can commit crimes to their hearts content without the danger

3 There is a constant effort to reduce police budget and he number of available police officers are constantly decreasing.

4 Criminals - even those accused of murder are released without paying for bail are released within 24 hours and it often take months before murderers are charged woi their offenses.

The problems tems from the Democratic Party Soft on crime policies. The liberals believe that people are forced into crime bcause of of Soceity Oppresion. Obvious BS.

Wrong section.

I wonder if Ed will create a Shitory Section specially for you.

BTW I didn't read your post.

Well you would think that after all this time running the country into the ground that perhaps selection on merit irrespective of all else would be the wise and correct plan to follow.

But no it is once more a case of having the ANC with their foot flat on the accelerator going downhill into a sharp left turn.

Unfortunately for us sport followers and supporters.

TRUST THAT YOU ARE CORRECT DENNY.

CSA just like the ANC have a culture that's manifested in participation, in supporting average not merit and that the number of black players regardless of their lack of ability has to be in the squad and team.

Crikey, the most important criteria to selection is the colour of the players skin. Matter of fact the culture is still being enforced in the workplace as well.

Right here there's a post riding this forum as an example of a poster nominating Bavuma as an all-time great carrying the drinks tray!!!

Not sure whether to laugh or cry!

So there, as I've consistently stated, South African teams have a two fold opposition......the one within and the one in the playing arena.

Cry me a river!