All in all it has been a good week for Toni de Zorzi. Fresh from guiding Gauteng to victory in the Khaya Majola week, he has been rewarded with the captaincy of the SA Under 19 team which will defend their world title in Bangladesh in January.

He will also captain the SA Schools side in the inaugural Coca Cola Cup against the SA Colts  in Port Elizabeth on Monday.

De Zorzi, another product of the unrelenting King Edward VII cricket machine, alma mater of Graeme Smith, among many others, led the Gauteng through the week unbeaten and engineered a six-wicket victory over Western Province to win their third, successive final on Sunday.

‘The opportunity is there for you all to begin to live your dreams and to travel in the knowledge that you not only have the CSA Family right behind you, but indeed the entire nation,’ said CSA Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat.

‘It is worth recalling that Kagiso Rabada was the bowling spearhead of our previous campaign, and we all know the impressive strides he has made since then to represent the Proteas with distinction. Make yourself and the rest of us proud.’

Team coach Lawrence Mahatlane added: ‘We have a lot of players that we have tried out and given a lot of international exposure to. I think the fact that majority of the team has been to Bangladesh already can only serve us in good stead.’

Reference to their previous experience in Bangladesh will serve to remind them that the task ahead is a tough one. The Under 19 touring team lost 6-1 away, and 5-2 at home this year.

 Coca-Cola South Africa U19 World Cup Team:  Tony de Zorzi (Gauteng, capt), Ziyaad Abrahams (Western Province), Dean Foxcroft (Northerns), Dayyaan Galiem (Western Province), Willie Ludick (Northerns), Wandile Makwethu (Gauteng), Conner McKerr (Gauteng), Rivaldo Moonsamy (Northerns), Wiaan Mulder (Gauteng), Luke Philander (Boland), Farhaan Sayanvala (Gauteng), Lutho Sipamla (Eastern Province), Liam Smith (Gauteng), Kyle Verreynne (Western Province) and Sean Whitehead (Free State).

 Groups

GROUP A	GROUP B	GROUP C	GROUP D
South Africa	Pakistan	England	Australia
Bangladesh	Sri Lanka	West Indies	India
Scotland	Afghanistan	Zimbabwe	New Zealand
Namibia	Canada	Fiji	Nepal

Warm-up matches

22 Jan –  South Africa v Fiji, Fatullah Outer
24 Jan – South Africa v West Indies, Fatullah

Group matches

27 Jan – South Africa v Bangladesh*, ZACS, Chittagong
31 Jan – South Africa v Namibia, Cox’s Bazar (second)
2 Feb –  South Africa v Scotland, Cox’s Bazaar (second)