Gauteng cricket team
Cricket team
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Central Gauteng (formerly Transvaal) is the first-class cricket team of the southern parts of Gauteng province of South Africa. The team was called Transvaal from April 1890 to April 1997 (the area north of Johannesburg, including Pretoria being part of the Northerns, formerly Northern Transvaal). Under the main competition's various names – the Currie Cup, then the Castle Cup, now the SuperSport Series – Transvaal/Gauteng cricket team has been the most successful of the South African domestic sides, winning 25 times. The club's most glorious period was the 1980s when they were dubbed the "Mean Machine".[1][2]
For the purposes of the SuperSport Series, Gauteng merged with North West (formerly Western Transvaal) to form the Highveld Lions or, more simply, "the Lions" (from October 2004 to 2021).[citation needed] When the franchises were dissolved in 2021, the Lions name was applied to Central Gauteng alone.[3]
Current squad
Squad for 2026/27 Season[4]. Players in bold have played international cricket.
| Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | |||||
| Temba Bavuma |  South Africa |
17 May 1990 | Right-handed | Right-arm seam | National Contract |
| Tiaan Brits | South Africa |
Left-handed | |||
| Zubayr Hamza | South Africa |
19 June 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm wrist spin | Player of National Interest |
| Reeza Hendricks | South Africa |
14 August 1989 | Right-handed | Right-arm orthodox spin | |
| Richard Seletswane | South Africa |
21 January 2005 | Right-handed | Right-arm orthodox spin | |
| Mitchell van Buuren | South Africa |
21 January 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm wrist spin | |
| Rassie van der Dussen | South Africa |
7 February 1989 | Right-handed | Right-arm wrist spin | |
| Wicket-keepers | |||||
| Quinton de Kock | South Africa |
7 December 1992 | Left-handed | National Contract | |
| Connor Esterhuizen | South Africa |
31 May 2001 | Right-handed | Player of National Interest | |
| Dominic Hendricks | South Africa |
12 July 1990 | Left-handed | Right-arm orthodox spin | |
| Wandile Makwetu | South Africa |
7 January 1999 | Right-handed | ||
| Ryan Rickelton | South Africa |
11 July 1996 | Left-handed | National Contract | |
| All-rounders | |||||
| Bjorn Fortuin | South Africa |
21 October 1994 | Right-handed | Left-arm orthodox spin | Player of National Interest |
| Wiaan Mulder | South Africa |
19 February 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm seam | National Contract |
| Delano Potgieter | South Africa |
5 August 1996 | Left-handed | Right-arm seam | |
| Bowlers | |||||
| Gerald Coetzee | South Africa |
2 October 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm seam | Player of National Interest[5] |
| Kwena Maphaka | South Africa |
April 8, 2006 | Left-handed | Left-arm seam | National Contract |
| Nqaba Peter | South Africa |
December 9, 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm wrist spin | Player of National Interest |
| Siya Plaatjie | South Africa |
Right-handed | Right-arm seam | ||
| Kagiso Rabada | South Africa |
May 5, 1995 | Left-handed | Right-arm seam | National Contract |
| Lutho Sipamla | South Africa |
May 12, 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm seam | Player of National Interest |
| Codi Yusuf | South Africa |
April 10, 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm seam | Player of National Interest |
Honours
- Currie Cup (25) - 1889–90, 1894–95, 1902–03, 1903–04, 1904–05, 1906–07, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1929–30, 1934–35, 1950–51, 1958–59, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1999–00; shared (4) - 1921–22, 1937–38, 1965–66, 1969–70
- Standard Bank Cup (6) - 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1992–93, 1997–98, 2003–04
- South African Airways Provincial Three-Day Challenge (2) - 2006–07, 2012–13; 'shared (1) – 2014-15
- South African Airways Provincial One-Day Challenge (1) - 2007–08
- Gillette/Nissan Cup (9) - 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1990–91
Former players
Among the notable players are: Clive Rice, Jimmy Cook, Sylvester Clarke, Graeme Pollock, Alvin Kallicharran, Roy Pienaar, Hugh Page, Richard Snell, Henry Fotheringham, Ray Jennings, Kevin McKenzie and Rohan Kanhai.[1]
Venues
Venues have included:
- Old Wanderers, Johannesburg (1891–1946)
- Berea Park, Pretoria (occasional venue Dec 1906 - Jan 1932; Northerns venue from 1937)
- Willowmoore Park, Benoni (occasional venue Dec 1923 - Dec 1931; Northerns venue from 1948)
- Ellis Park, Johannesburg (1946–1956)
- New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (1956–present)
- Vereeniging Brick and Tile Recreation Ground (one game in 1966)
- New Wanderers No 1 Oval, Johannesburg (occasional venue Nov 1968 - Dec 1991)
- Strathvaal Cricket Club A Ground, Stilfontein (occasional venue Dec 1963 - March 1976)
- South African Defence Force Ground, Potchefstroom (one game in Dec 1972)
- Lenasia Stadium, Johannesburg South (occasional venue Jan 1977 - Nov 2002)
- George Lea Sports Club, Johannesburg (two games in 1983)
- Dick Fourie Stadium, Vereeniging (two matches 1989–1991)
- NF Oppenheimer Ground, Randjesfontein (three matches 1995–2004)