Mitchell van Buuren from Gauteng was named the Hero of the Day for day one of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week.

The prestigious Coca-Cola Hero of the Day award is presented on each day of the tournament in recognition of a game changing ‘hero’ moment.  Mitchell was selected for the award by a Coca-Cola appointed panel of cricket experts after he saved his team when they were in trouble in their game against hostile bowling by KwaZulu-Natal Coastal. Gauteng were on 14-3 when he came to the crease. Together with his captain, Wiaan Mulder, they rebuilt the innings, putting on 109 for the fourth wicket.

Once things had settled down, Mitchell cut loose and ended up with 106 – a heroic performance that preserved Gauteng’s three year unbeaten record at the Week.

‘Winning the Coca-Cola Hero of the Day means a lot to me especially because I ended up helping my team, which is important in a week like this where the team comes first, I am proud of my performance and of my team as well,’ said Mitchell.

‘The true test of a quality batsman is if he is able to rescue his team when they are in trouble. Mitchell showed this quality today, and is the deserved Coca-Cola Hero of the Day,’ said Robin Peterson, former Proteas player and lead judge of the Coca-Cola Hero of the Day panel at the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week.

Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola Southern & East Africa’s Senior Communications Manager: Brand Experience commented, ‘The Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week is Where Heroes Are Made. For Mitchell this is hopefully just the beginning of a future in the game. On behalf of Coca-Cola I extend my congratulations, I can’t wait to follow his career going forward as he works towards becoming a hero of South African cricket.’

Photo: Petri Oeschger/Gallo Images