Telford Vice's Blog, page 16

Rickelton hits Covid for six

“When someone bats like he did, bowlers can’t really bowl at him,” – Albie Morkel on Ryan Rickelton

Telford Vice / Newlands

RYAN Rickelton overcame his fifth bout of Covid to hammer Mumbai Indians Cape Town to the top of the SA20 standings at Newlands on Saturday.

Rickelton’s 39-ball 89 helped Cape Town beat Joburg Super Kings by seven wickets with 25 balls to spare — the visitors’ first loss in four matches in this year’s tournament.

The Capetonians, who have played half of their ...

Nortjé crashes out of squad

Fast bowler “not expected to recover in time” to play in Champions Trophy.

Telford Vice / Paarl

ANRICH Nortjé’s absence from the game is set to continue in the wake of him being ruled out of the Champions Trophy. CSA said on Wednesday the fast bowler would miss the tournament and the rest of the SA20 because of a back injury. 

A release said Nortjé “underwent scans on Monday afternoon which revealed the extent of the injury. He is not expected to recover in time” to play in the Champi...

Kwena vs Rassie: giants, not dragons

“The challenge for him is going to be not believing the hype that’s made about him too much and following the normal road as a professional cricketer.” – Rassie van der Dussen on Kwena Maphaka

Telford Vice / Boland Park

THE name of the sandstone peaks that loom beyond Boland Park’s eastern boundary evokes thoughts of dragons. What would you think on being told they are called the Drakenstein Mountains?

But here be no dragons, real or imagined. In fact, the mountains are named after He...

Rooting for Joe isn’t difficult

“The game has given me so much over my time as a player. It’s your duty and your opportunity to pass that on to the next generation.” – Joe Root

Telford Vice / Cape Town

IT had been a long day’s journey into night for Paarl Royals. The sharp end of their Monday started with an hour’s bus ride to Newlands in mid-afternoon. Now they were preparing to make the return trip, which would get them home at around 11pm. Between their coming and going, Mumbai Indians Cape Town won their SA20 fixtu...

Walter’s watching brief goes the distance

“Gerald Coetzee played very well in the 2023 World Cup, but it was between him and Anrich Nortjé.” – Rob Walter

Telford Vice / Newlands

SEVEN-and-a-half hours after he revealed his Champions Trophy squad at an online press conference on Monday, Rob Walter was back in front of a screen. This time he was not being watched but doing the watching.

“I watch all of the games live, so it’s an early start for me,” Walter said. “But it’s part of the job. I love watching the games.”

Walter s...

Lhuan-Dre Pretorius makes a name for himself

“You look at him playing, and not a lot of guys can do those things.” – Aiden Markram on Lhuan-Dre Pretorius

Telford Vice / Paarl

LHUAN-DRE Pretorius could have been in the showers by the time fireworks tore into the bright blue sky over Paarl on Saturday to celebrate his fine innings.

Hit on his pads bang in front of the stumps by Marco Jansen and duly given out by Stephen Harris, Pretorius was on his way to the boundary when his batting partner insisted he review.

When you’re not...

What happened when Kwena met Karthik

“I don’t believe in constantly giving advice or being condescending. Try and be more like a friend; someone you not only sit and have serious conversations with, but also have fun with. That’s when the trust builds.” – Dinesh Karthik

Telford Vice / Paarl

DINESH Karthik has played 401 T20s. Kwena Maphaka? Twenty-three. When Karthik featured in the first of those games, for India against South Africa at the Wanderers in December 2006, Maphaka was not quite eight months old.

Yet there th...

South Africa’s government joins Afghanistan boycott call

“As a man who comes from a race that was not allowed equal access to sporting opportunities during apartheid, it would be hypocritical and immoral to look the other way today when the same is being done towards women anywhere in the world.” – Gayton McKenzie, South Africa sports minister

Telford Vice / Cape Town

SOUTH Africa’s sports minister has called on the country’s national men’s team not to play against Afghanistan at next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan in order for them to “...

Ready or not, here comes the SA20

“It’s very difficult for me to not come across like I’m bad-mouthing the ILT20, but I do feel it’s a league that is not good for the game.” – Graeme Smith

Telford Vice / Cape Town

A cricket ground in repose after a high-profile match is a magical place. Echoes and shadows of events there in the preceding hours and days hang in the quieted air, and a special peace settles between the suddenly animated sprinklers. Newlands wasn’t like that on Monday afternoon.

It should have been. At 5....

Maphaka passes Test exam

“That ball did not go where it was supposed to, but things like that happen for a reason.” – Kwena Maphaka on his first Test wicket.

Telford Vice / Cape Town

KWENA Maphaka had never known anything like it. His Test debut against Pakistan marked the longest time he had spent on the field in his first-class career — which is unsurprising considering the match was only his fourth at that level.

Just once in his first three games were the overs his team spent in the field across both inni...