Mpumalanga (cricket team)

Mpumalanga were a South African first-class cricket team from the province of Mpumalanga. They played their home games at Landau Recreation Club in Witbank and Lanion Hall Cricket Club, Nelspruit.

When Cricket South Africa decided to expand the Provincial Three-Day Challenge in 2006, Mpumalanga were one of five provincial teams (along with Kei, KwaZulu-Natal Inland, Limpopo and South Western Districts) elevated to first-class status.

First-class history

Mpumalanga played eight first-class matches in the 2006-07 season. They lost six of them and drew the other two. Four of the defeats were by an innings. They also lost all eight of their matches in the Provincial One-Day Challenge.

Their captain in all matches was Roelof Hugo,[1] who was also the wicket-keeper. He scored 451 runs in the first-class matches at an average of 28.18 and made 21 catches and a stumping. He later played for South Western Districts. The most successful batsman in the first-class matches was Paul van den Berg,[2] who scored 524 runs at 43.66 with one century and also took 16 wickets at 33.43. He later played for Easterns. Adolf van den Berg[3] was the most successful bowler, with 20 wickets at 34.30 as well as 414 runs at 31.84 with one century.

In the innings loss to Northerns, the 18-year-old Adriano dos Santos,[4] on his first-class debut, made 133 (out of a team total of 211) and 64.[5] He later played a few matches for Eastern Province.

Later history

In a competition that was itself of borderline first-class status, Cricket South Africa considered Mpumalanga's performance (and those of Kei and Limpopo) too weak to justify their place, and after one season, all three teams were omitted.[6] They have played no further first-class cricket.

Mpumalanga, now known as the Pumas, continue to play at sub-first-class level.[7] Since 2010-11 they have competed in the Cricket South Africa Rural League, inland division, a 50-over competition.[8] Their under-age teams compete in the annual inter-provincial tournaments.[9]

In August 2018, they were included in the 2018 Africa T20 Cup tournament.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ Roelof Hugo at Cricket Archive
  2. ↑ Paul van den Berg at Cricket Archive
  3. ↑ Adolf van den Berg at Cricket Archive
  4. ↑ Adriano dos Santos at Cricket Archive
  5. ↑ Northerns v Mpumalanga 2006-07
  6. ↑ Colin Bryden, "Cricket in South Africa, 2006-07", Wisden 2008, p. 1338.
  7. ↑ Pumas events calendar Archived 2013-12-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "Other matches played by Mpumalanga". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  9. ↑ Mpumalanga teams
  10. ↑ "CSA launches expanded Africa T20 Cup". Cricket365. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "Ghana and Nigeria set to join Kenya, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South African domestic sides in expanded Africa T20 Cup". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 7 August 2018.

External sources

Further reading

  • South African Cricket Annual – various editions
  • Wisden Cricketers' Almanack – various editions
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