Ken Borland

• Garmin Men’s Newcomer of the Year Award, here are the nominees,

• Joshua van Heerden – The 25-year-old Josh van Heerden was able to bank precious experience and notch personal milestones on his return to Pretoria this season. The top-order batter played in all three formats and reached his first century for the Momentum Multiply Titans when he scored an unbeaten 109 against the Tuskers in Pietermaritzburg, adding a record 252 for the first wicket with Matthew Kleinveldt. Van Heerden also scored his first T20 half-century for the Titans when he bashed 56 off 35 balls against the Dolphins.

• Merrick Brett – Merrick Brett has everything a coach wants to see in a young fast bowler – decent pace, the control to hit the good areas and hard lengths, bounce, and the ability to move the ball both ways. The 23-year-old took 12 wickets in four first-class matches for the Momentum Multiply Titans, including his brilliant five for 61 against the Dolphins at SuperSport Park.

• Lhuan-Dre Pretorius – Lhuan-Dre Pretorius moved smoothly from U19 cricket after an excellent Junior World Cup to the senior Momentum Multiply Titans ranks and he has shown enough in the CSA T20 Challenge to suggest he is going to play a big role in the franchise’s future. The 18-year-old is able to hit the ball ferociously hard, but is also able to score all around the field with sweetly-timed strokes that are most pleasing to the eye. He showed all those attributes in his 58 off 43 balls against the Tuskers at SuperSport Park and in his vital 52 off 32 balls in the de facto quarterfinal win over Western Province at Newlands. He has also kept wicket tidily.

• Garmin Men’s T20 Player of the Year, the nominees are:

• Rivaldo Moonsamy – It has been a wonderful season for the returning Rivaldo Moonsamy and he hit 428 runs at a strike-rate of 136.30 in the CSA T20 Challenge. He was the Momentum Multiply Titans’ leading run-scorer, averaging 30.57 and his two highlights were when he demolished the Lions attack with 88 off 52 balls at the Wanderers, and when he raced the Titans to a crucial bonus point victory against the Tuskers with 90 not out off just 41 deliveries at SuperSport Park.

• Sibonelo Makhanya – The experienced Sibonelo Makhanya was able to shine in the Momentum Multiply Titans’ middle-order with 348 runs at a strike-rate of 138.42, collecting three half-centuries along the way. As a seller of the T20 format as entertainment, Makhanya is one of the best, always bringing great urgency, quick running between the wickets and tremendous improvisation and skill to the crease, as well as being one of the best fielders in the competition.

• David Wiese – The evergreen David Wiese just keeps running in and delivering the goods with the ball. Despite playing just eight of the matches, he was the leading wicket-taker for the Momentum Multiply Titans with 17 at the near-superhuman average of just 9.29 runs per wicket, while conceding only 6.07 runs-per-over. Wiese took five for 29 against the Dolphins in Durban, his seventh five-wicket haul in T20 cricket, extending his world record. He may be 38, but clearly that motor’s still fine!

• The  Weber Men’s First-Class Player of the Year, the nominees in this category are,

• Junior Dala – The 34-year-old Junior Dala continues to bring high pace, aggression and ever-growing skill to the Momentum Multiply Titans attack, never mind his athletic fielding and useful runs down the order. Dala was the team’s leading wicket-taker in the four-day competition, taking 23 in just four matches at an excellent average of only 22.47. The highlight came when he took six for 58, and nine wickets in the match, against the Lions at SuperSport Park, in a valiant effort to bowl the Titans into the final.

• Rivaldo Moonsamy – It was a triumphant return to the Momentum Multiply Titans for Rivaldo Moonsamy in 2023/24 as he hit two centuries and two half-centuries in amassing 536 runs in the first-class competition, the team’s highest tally. It was Moonsamy’s dazzling 124 that turned the Titans’ fortunes around in their thrilling win over the Warriors, and he also scored 130 against the Dolphins, adding a record 209 for the sixth wicket with Dean Elgar. He also hit eight sixes in an innings of 98 off 72 balls against the Dragons.

• Dean Elgar – Titans stalwart Dean Elgar played just four matches in the four-day series but still managed to score over 400 runs and collect two centuries. The tenacious left-hander averaged 60.28, to finish third in the tournament averages. Elgar started the season with a tremendously determined 119 not out that took his team to a testing fourth-innings target of 257 against the Rocks in Paarl, and then he made 149 the next week against the Dolphins at SuperSport Park.

• Powerade Men’s One-Day Player of the Year, here are the nominees,

• Dean Elgar – Before his great efforts in the first-class competition, Dean Elgar regaled us with some spectacular form in the One-Day Cup. He scored 324 runs in just six innings at an average of 81 and an impressive strike-rate of 94.18. That tally included three centuries, all of which led to Momentum Multiply Titans wins: He stroked 103 off 99 balls against the Rocks to set up a total of 380 for seven; and then in back-to-back matches scored 100 not out and shared a 232-run partnership with Donovan Ferreira, the best for the fifth wicket in the history of the competition, to take the Titans to a target of 273, and 119 not out off 126 deliveries in a total of 355 for six against the Tuskers.

• Donovan Ferreira – The big-hitting Donovan Ferreira hammered 353 runs in seven innings, at an average of 58.83 and a strike-rate of 137.35 for the Momentum Multiply Titans in the One-Day Cup, ensuring we almost always had a phenomenal end to our innings. He sent 18 sixes sailing into the crowd during the competition, more than anyone else. Included in his tally were two fifties and a spectacular century when the Titans were in deep trouble against the Dolphins, on 41 for four chasing 273. He slammed 138 not out off just 106 balls, adding an unbeaten 232 with Dean Elgar, the highest-ever fifth-wicket stand in the history of the competition. Ferreira also chipped in with six wickets with his off-spin, giving away just five runs an over.

• Dewald Brevis – Dewald Brevis, who has just turned 21 – Congratulations! – showed that he will be a batsman for all situations in one-day cricket as he scored 372 runs in seven innings for the Momentum Multiply Titans, averaging 53.14 and striking at 97.89. His two centuries were contrasting efforts: Brevis made 100 off only 80 balls against the Dragons, and also scored 116 off 118 deliveries, out of a total of 217, the Titans having lost their first three wickets with just one run on the board, against Western Province.

• The Weber Men’s Player of the Year, the nominees are:

• Rivaldo Moonsamy – After two seasons away, Rivaldo Moonsamy certainly did not sell himself short upon his return to the Momentum Multiply Titans, being their leading run-scorer in both the four-day and T20 competitions. He averaged an impressive 48.72 against the red ball, scoring 536 runs which included two hundreds and two fifties and was the Titans’ Men’s First-Class Player of the Year. He was brilliant in the T20 competition as well, always entertaining at the crease as he lashed 428 runs at a strike-rate of 136.30.

• Dean Elgar – It was another prolific summer with the bat for Dean Elgar as he hit five centuries in 14 innings for the Momentum Multiply Titans across both the 50-over and four-day competitions. It did not matter whether he was opening the batting or coming in at number four, Elgar was immense with 746 runs across the two tournaments at an average of 67.81. He was the Titans’ Men’s One-Day Player of the Year.

• Dewald Brevis – It has been a brilliant first full season for the Momentum Multiply Titans for Dewald Brevis as he has contributed important runs for the team across all three formats. In first-class cricket, he scored 447 runs at an average of 40.63, with two centuries, 113 in a victory over the Dragons in Potchefstroom and 110, his maiden four-day hundred, in the thrilling win over the Warriors. His 372 runs in seven innings, averaging 53.14 and striking at 97.89, including another two centuries, saw Brevis nominated for the Men’s One-Day Player of the Year award. He only played three T20 games for the Titans, but struck at 150 and raced to 50 off 29 balls against the powerful Warriors side.

Professionalisation of the Women’s game

Women’s cricket continues to enjoy significant growth in South Africa and the evolution of the game reached another milestone in the 2023/24 season with the professionalisation of the domestic game.

For the first time, 11 professional contracts were awarded to the leading ladies of the Fidelity Titans squad, as well as the appointment of full-time support staff such as strength-and-conditioning coaches and physiotherapists.

It was no coincidence that the standards of play would quickly go to new heights and our Fidelity Titans were one of the strongest teams in the country, finishing fourth in both the One-Day Cup and T20 League.

Established Proteas such as Anneke Bosch, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus and Laura Wolvaardt have combined with up-and-coming stars such as newly-capped Protea Eliz-Mari Marx, Katherine Prior, Robyn Searle, Gandhi Jafta and Paulinah Mashishi to make for a most convivial camp.

SuperSport Park and Titans cricket have always been at the forefront of chasing excellence in the women’s game. The stadium hosted the 2005 Women’s World Cup final between Australia and India, with the Aussies storming to a 98-run win.

The appointment of Karen Smithies, who captained England to the 1993 World Cup title, to the managerial staff of the Titans has also boosted the ladies game considerably.

All-rounder Smithies played against the first South African women’s team to tour a major nation, on the trip to England in 1997 under coach Conrad Hunte. The Proteas played at Lord’s – where Smithies took three for 15 to set up an England win – and a couple of the matches were televised.

The women’s game has since exploded with a rapid increase in support. In 2020, 86 000 spectators watched the T20 World Cup final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when Australia again beat India.

South Africa’s rise in women’s cricket continued when they reached the final of the 2023 T20 World Cup, hosted in Cape Town, pushing Australia hard in front of thousands of enthralled spectators.

The Titans have a firm vision that men’s and women’s cricket should be viewed and treated equally and have made much progress towards this noble goal.

 

Titans fast bowler Junior Dala has ascribed his selection for the South Africa A side’s tour of England later this month to an improved understanding of the physics of his bowling action, which has led to greater control and consistency.

Dala was one of the best bowlers in the country in limited-overs cricket last season, being the joint-highest wicket-taker in the Momentum One-Day Cup with 16 scalps at an average of only 18.68 and an excellent economy rate of just 5.29. He was also outstanding in the CSA T20 Challenge with 11 wickets at 26.63 and he was one of the key performers as the Titans claimed both white-ball titles, where there is huge pressure on bowlers to be more skilful.

“In the last two years I have made a big step up. When I first went to the Titans, I did not really know my action, but Rob Walter and Mandla Mashimbyi really coached me on that, whereas other coaches before that were just happy that I could bowl fast. But I was being found out in franchise cricket, I always felt under pressure because I did not really know what I was doing from ball-to-ball. I would try and bowl a yorker and miss by eight metres!

“But I’ve realised that I can’t just get away with being quick, at times things went horribly wrong in four-day cricket and that has taught me the importance of consistency. I’m a lot more consistent now, Albie Morkel has shown a lot of trust in me and even used me in the powerplay with the new ball. I trust myself 90-95% of the time to hit my mark now,” the unorthodox Dala told The Citizen on Wednesday.

It is a measure of how quick a learner the 27-year-old Dala is that he changed from being mostly an inswing bowler to an away-swinger this last season, simply because he felt batsmen were beginning to read him too easily.

“I sacrificed a little pace but I’m still bowling 140 with more control, and I predominantly shaped the ball away because nobody thought I could do that. Now I’m working on doing all that at 145km/h.

“You have to accept that you’re going to be hit for fours and embrace that, but I have the freedom to express myself at the Titans and then it becomes a lot easier to execute, without that fear of failure.

“I haven’t played in England before so I’m excited for that and I hope it’s a good tour with lots of wickets. Guys are getting reward for their performances in the last six months, whereas before they had to wait two years sometimes. Mark Boucher told me things can happen very quickly at that level and I must just make the most of the opportunity,” Dala, who was born in Lusaka in 1989 as his parents were in exile, said.

 

 

 

A back-of-the-hand slower ball and a stronger mentality are a couple of the upgrades fast bowler Junior Dala has added to his game as he looks to become a regular member of the Titans team in all three formats in the coming season.

Having spent the 2015 winter at the national academy, Dala showed those improvements in limited-overs cricket last season, especially in the Momentum One-Day Cup, where he played in all 10 matches and ended as the tournament’s third-highest wicket-taker with 16, while conceding barely more than a run-a-ball.

He was also a stalwart of the Titans team that won the RamSlam T20 Challenge, taking eight wickets at an average of 25.12 and conceding less than eight runs an over.

But he only played in four of the Sunfoil Series matches, taking just five wickets at an average of 57, so that is clearly where he wants to improve greatly.

“I had a lot more belief in myself and I learnt valuable lessons with the academy when we toured Sri Lanka and I did reasonably well against Test players. I had early success in the One-Day Cup, I was the leading wicket-taker at the halfway mark, and in the T20 I just went with that flow. I worked on extra skills and I learnt a lot as well from the Proteas bowlers in our squad.

“I felt I was playing for my place the season before that, but last season changed my whole outlook. Sometimes I have to taper down, it’s not just about outright pace, it depends on what’s required for the situation, like the back-of-the-hand slower ball for instance. I’ve grown mentally, I use my head more and I have extra confidence and belief,” Dala said.

“But I haven’t played enough of the long format, the more I play, the better I’ll be. I maybe let myself down a bit in the four-dayers last season, so it’s definitely a major goal to put that right. I’m working hard so hopefully I will play in all three formats next season, I just need to do what I need to do.”

Ironically, the most impressive performance of last season came in a long format game as he destroyed the England second innings with five for 34 in 12 overs for the SA Invitation XI in Potchefstroom, earning the respect of Jimmy Anderson, the leader of the touring attack.

“Taking five against England on a flat Potch pitch made me believe that I can compete at that level, I just need to be more consistent. I got Alex Hales a couple of times and Alastair Cook showed such super skills, but I thought I handled myself well and showed that I can do it. James Anderson came and congratulated me and told me I had big things ahead of me.

“But I never went to a big school and the first time I was ever coached was when I played for Gauteng. So I’m a work in progress and I’m still trying to figure out my action, there are still basics to get right and I need to understand it more,” the unorthodox 26-year-old said.

But the opinions of the great Anderson and coaches Shukri Conrad, the head of the academy, and Rob Walter of the Titans are surely right on the money when it comes to Dala.