Cricket South Africa head of cricket pathways Corrie van Zyl says he is happy with the efficiency of the talent pipeline.
Van Zyl believes the national body’s development programmes are offering him plenty of encouragement after some of their latest graduates made inspiring debuts against Pakistan over the past week.
Janneman Malan and Lutho Sipamla both debuted in the three-match KFC T20 International Series against Pakistan, which concluded on Wednesday with the Proteas running out 2-1 winners.
Both played two games each, opener Malan making scores of 33 and two, with paceman Sipamla nabbing none for 23 and one for 25.
‘It’s a definite indication that the pipeline is working and is producing the players,’ Van Zyl said. ‘At the end of the day it also places the pool of players that we can expose at international level in a positive light.
‘That’s ultimately the objective of the pipeline, to produce international Protea players; not just Protea players, but those that are successful.
‘It’s pleasing to see that they don’t just make it into the squad, but they’re also performing when they are given their opportunity. That’s the most important part of it.’
The pair were also some of the stand-out names during the inaugural Mzansi Super League (MSL), with 22-year-old Malan ending sixth on the batting charts with 305 runs as his side the Cape Town Blitz ended runners-up.
Sipamla, who is just 20, was the second-highest wicket-taker, with 16 wickets for the Tshwane Spartans.
Van Zyl said the MSL T20 was a good platform for these players and praised them for making a name for themselves during the November-December spectacle.
‘The Mzansi Super League was a wonderful platform for these players to show their skill set,’ he added. ‘Both Lutho and Janneman have gone through the structures of the pipeline.
‘We have known about these players for a long time, but the fans and the public only got to know them through the Mzansi Super League, and that what’s the league was also there for.
‘It was a fantastic opportunity in a very high-standard competition to showcase what they could do. And they’ve done well there, which went a long way to show that they have the potential to do well on the highest stage.
‘The Mzansi Super League gave them this opportunity to show what sort of talent the country is producing via our CSA pipeline.’
Both players are now set to feature for their franchises in the One-Day Cup 50-over competition starting on Friday.
