Johannesburg, 5 March 2024
Lions Cricket would like to wish the best of luck to DP World Lions Deaf Cricketers Sivesh Poonsamy, Shani De Jager and Colin Venter at the upcoming Deaf International Cricket Council (DICC) T20 World Cup. Sport scientist and muscle recovery specialist Geoffrey Botha rounds up the quartet that will represent South Africa in the United Arab Emirates starting tomorrow 6 March.
Sivesh Poonsamy will be playing in his fifth international tour, Shani De Jager his second and Colin Venter, with six international tours, will once again captain the team. All three are 95% Deaf players who between them have amassed over three hundred runs to date this season. The trio have been preparing for the DICC T20 World Cup since October last year, through a series of training camps and friendly matches.
“We are immensely proud to have four DP World Lions representing South Africa at the Deaf ICC World Cup. Having our players performing at this level is testimony to the support from our partners, coaches, structures and the players themselves and is coupled with the unrivalled passion, determination and inclusivity that is part of our DNA at Lion’s Cricket. We wish Sivesh, Colin, Shani, Geoffrey and the entire Proteas team the best of luck for the tournament: We will be rooting for them back home and encourage fans to get behind the team too as they take on the world’s best,” says Jono Leaf-Wright, Lions Cricket CEO.
This will be the Protea’s second DICC T20 World Cup, with their debut in India in 2018 where they placed third. They also competed in the DICC Champions Trophy in 2022 in the UAE, where their stellar performance saw them make history by reaching the finals. Unfortunately, they lost to India, but the team is confident that the experience will stand them in good stead for their DICC T20 World Cup campaign. DP World Lions Deaf Cricket President Sivesh Poonsamy is excited and optimistic. “We have three new caps for the T20 ICC World Cup which will add a different dynamic to our team. We are currently ranked second in the DICC rankings, and our aim is to change this by bringing home the prestigious trophy this year. We learnt a lot from the last World Cup experience, working closely with our coach on our fitness, managing pressure and winning mentality. As a union, Lions Cricket has been instrumental in supporting Deaf cricket and we are proud to represent the Pride and grateful for their inclusivity. Their steadfast commitment to our team has included providing us with a Level 2/3 coach which was integral to the team winning the IPT tournament in Cape Town. In addition, the Union provided us with a Deaf team umpire for selected matches which made a tremendous impact. As we take to the field for the World Cup in Dubai, we are equipped with the support and encouragement of the Pride of Jozi and aim to do our country proud and to inspire future generations of cricketers to pursue their dreams despite any challenges they may face.”
The team will play five matches from 6 – 12 March, with the final taking place on Tuesday 12 March. Should you wish to follow the Prides performances, please follow Lions Cricket social media channels.
2024 DICC T20 World Cup Proteas Fixtures
SA v Pakistan – Wednesday 6 March
SA v India – Thursday 7 March
SA v Bangladesh – Friday 8 March
SA v Australia – Saturday 9 March
SA v Sri Lanka – Sunday 10 March
Final – Tuesday 12 March