CSA One Day Cup: Who & What To Lookout For

Ongama Gcwabe brings you teams & players that will potentially go all the way in the CSA One Day Cup that starts tomorrow. 

The Momentum One Day Cup will bring down the curtains on the 2021/22 season in South African cricket. The tournament’s round-robin stage will be played from the 11th of March to the 3rd of April and the final will be staged on the 7^th of April.  

Pieter Malan

The Rocks’ captain is in good form yet again this season. Fresh from a double century last week and a T20 competition trophy the week before, Malan is making a strong case for himself for national selection across all formats. He finished with an average of 56 in last season’s 50 over competition and is expected to lead from the front yet again in this competition.  

Given that his opening partner and younger brother, Janneman, is in the Proteas ODI squad to take on Bangladesh this month, Pieter’s become even more important for the Rocks in this competition. His best One Day Cup season was in 2017/18 when he averaged 61.50 and was the top run-scorer for the season. Considering his current form and his stats, he is one to watch out for in this competition.

The Warriors’ Young Team

The make-up of the Warriors’ squad consists of experienced campaigners and youngsters that have been performing superbly in Division One cricket this season. The country was impressed by the young Tristan Stubbs during last month’s T20 competition and will be even more impressed with his ability in the 50 over format. Another exciting prospect in this Warriors setup is Eddie Moore who is seen as a red-ball batter because of his dominance in first-class cricket. The last time Moore featured in the Momentum One Day Cup was in the 2018/19 season. He scored two centuries and averaged over 50 in the competition.  

The unpredictability of this unit makes them a threat to oppositions because no one knows what they will bring on the day. 

Dangerous Dolphins

The Dolphins have reached the Finals of the Momentum One Day Cup in the past four seasons. They lost the trophy to the Titans in 2018/19, shared the trophy with the Warriors and the Lions in 2018  and 2021 respectively but won it in 2019/20. Imraan Khan’s men will be boosted by the return of  Sarel Erwee and Keegan Petersen who will pose a massive threat in the early stages of the competition before the duo joins the Proteas Test team late March-April.  

Although they will be without the inform Andile Phehlukwayo and David Miller at the beginning of the tournament, the Dolphins have enough depth in their side. Grant Roelofsen batting alongside  Erwee will be a tough opening pair to dismantle for the opposition. This Dolphins team will be hungry to retain this trophy. 

Sisanda Magala

Magala has been dominating domestic cricket across all formats for many seasons and is expected to do the same this season. He might have an extra bit of motivation in this tournament because he was dropped in the Proteas ODI squad for ‘failing a fitness test’. The bowling all-rounder was the leading wicket-taker in the Momentum One Day Cup last season. He grabbed eight wickets at an average of 20.25 in just four matches. 

The Lions are yet to win a trophy this season and for a successful team like them, they are expected to hit the ground running in this 50-over competition.  

Ryan Rickelton

Rickelton has been excluded from the Proteas ODI squad and will be available to play the One Day  Cup for the Lions, at least for the beginning of the tournament. The left-handed batter has proved that he has what it takes in both white-ball and red-ball cricket. Last season he averaged 75.50 in the three One Day Cup matches that he played and scored one century. At the top of the order, he will be one to look out for.