South Africa Under-19 have announced their squad for the two upcoming Youth ODI series: against Bangladesh and a tri-series that will also include Zimbabwe.
South Africa U19 will first host Bangladesh U19 for three Youth ODIs, to be played between July 17 and 22 at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, before both teams travel to Zimbabwe for an U19 tri-series from July 25 to August 10.
The matches will help the teams gain much-needed preparation ahead of the 2026 Under-19 World Cup, which is set to be jointly hosted by Namibia and Zimbabwe next year.
Muhammad Bulbulia and Jason Rowles, who both captained the team during their victorious tour of Namibia, will continue to share leadership duties.
Vihan Pretorius earns maiden South Africa U19 call-up
There are plenty of fresh faces in the squad as well. 17-year-old Vihan Pretorius, brother of South Africa’s teen breakout star Lhuan-dre, has earned his maiden call-up to the national U19 side. Vihan has experience in various South African age-group cricket tournaments. Despite being a batter primarily, he has impressive bowling records as well.
In the National Premier League, he has played 12 matches for Bank All Stars, scoring 429 runs at an average of 35.75 and a strike rate of 180.25, including five fifties. He has also taken six wickets at an average of 29.17 and an economy rate of 8.75. In one-day matches across multiple Jozi Cup seasons, he has scored 116 runs at an average of 58.00 and a strike rate of 130.34, while also taking three wickets at an average of 3.33 with an economy rate of 3.75.
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Top-order batter Armaan Manack and seamer Corne Botha have also earned their maiden call-ups.
"Armaan impressed with a standout knock of 147 and has shown good progression through the emerging setup. Vihan brings added depth with his versatility as a batting option, while Corne has been on our radar for some time and really put his hand up with the ball this past week.
"Overall, we’re pleased with the balance of the squad and look forward to seeing how these players take their opportunities in the coming weeks," SA U19 convenor of selectors Patrick Moroney said.
South Africa Under-19 squads for Bangladesh Youth ODIs and Zimbabwe tri-series
Muhammad Bulbulia (c), Jason Rowles (c), JJ Basson, Corne Botha, Daniel Bosman, Paul James, Enathi Khitshini, Adnaan Lagadien, Bandile Mbatha, Armaan Manack, Bayanda Majola, Kamogelo Phiri, Vihan Pretorius, Ntando Soni and Jorich van Schalkwyk
Image credit: Instagram/nationalpremierleague_
