The inaugural edition of the Global Power Cricket League (GPCL) is all set to kick-off in Delhi on October 2. The T20 tournament will run till October 9, comprising eight teams from different countries.
One of the teams featuring in this competition is from South Africa, going by the name of South African Emeralds.
Since the GPCL organisers have made it mandatory for every team to include players of Indian origin in their set-up and the average age of the side shouldn’t cross 25 years, South African Emeralds have picked their squad accordingly.
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The 14-member squad has Robert Frylinck as captain. Frylinck has represented South Africa in three T20Is and boasts plenty of experience in the shortest format. In 148 T20s, the 37-year-old all-rounder has amassed 1332 runs at an impressive strike rate of 148.82 while he has claimed 162 wickets at an economy rate of 7.75.
The South African Emeralds squad also includes three Indian origin players – Mohammed Waseem Rahman, Seth Rajkumar and Mishkal Ramsaroop. While Waseem and Rajkumar haven’t had much exposure in professional cricket, Ramsaroop has the experience of 60 First-Class matches, 13 List A outings and 8 T20s.
The squad is dominated by players from the South African domestic team Natal, with Jesse Cameron Smit, Jordan Gregory, Michael Gray Alexander, Johnny Riekert, Jason Clint Redinger, Neill Jordan, Jason Solomon Wagener, Leonardo Sathiaseelan, Jordan Grobbelaar, and Jason Gilbert Biddulph part of the set-up.
Playing under the leadership of seasoned campaigner Robert Frylinck will certainly help the aforementioned young cricketers, who have little or no experience of playing high-octane T20 leagues.
The GPCL T20 will be broadcasted worldwide, thus, it is also a perfect platform for them to showcase their T20 skills, which will ultimately open doors of opportunity for them.
South African Emeralds are slotted in Pool B alongside Australian Golds, Sri Lankan Violets and Irish Olives in the GPCL. They will begin their campaign against Sri Lankan Violets in the tournament opener on October 2.
South African Emeralds Squad:
Robert Frylinck (c), Mohammed Waseem, Jesse Cameron Smit, Jordan Gregory, Michael Gray Alexander, Johnny Riekert, Jason Clint Redinger, Neill Jordan, Jason Solomon Wagener, Seth Rajkumar, Mishkal Ramsaroop, Leonardo Sathiaseelan, Jordan Grobbelaar, and Jason Gilbert Biddulph
