Yahya selected for SA over-50s World Cup

Date: 26 April 2024 By: Anton van Zyl

Well-known veteran cricket player from Louis Trichardt, Yahya Jiwa, has been selected for the national side that will represent South Africa in the upcoming Over-50s Africa Cup and early next year in the Over-50s Cricket World Cup.

Yahya currently commutes between Louis Trichardt and Pretoria every week. While in Gauteng, he plays cricket for the Laudium Veteran side. Towards the end of last year, he was selected to play for the Titans side that competed in the Gauteng league. He also formed part of the team that competed in the Over-50 Interprovincial Tournament (IPT).

The IPT took place last week (15-19 April), and the matches were played at the Wanderers Club, Old Edwardians, and Delfos Cricket Club in Johannesburg. Yahya impressed with his batting and scored a total of 167 runs during the tournament.

In the first match against the Dolphins, the bowlers of Titans dominated and limited the target that their batters had to chase to 70. Yahya opened the batting and hit an unbeaten 48 off 69 balls to help secure a victory.

In the second match, Titans came up against the Lions, but this time they were less fortunate. They were asked to chase 154, but Yahya was dismissed for only 3 runs. They could only score 112.

The third match was against a strong Border side. Yahya scored 51 runs to help his team reach a respectable 190 in their allotted 45 overs. Border chased down the score with three overs left.

In the last match, Titans came up against Eastern Province, who set them a target of 202. Yahya was again in excellent form, hitting 65 off 76 balls before he was run out. Titans passed the score in the last over.

Yahya’s performance during the IPT caught the attention of the selectors of the national side, who need to start preparing for the Africa Cup in November this year. This tournament takes place in Namibia. In February next year, the team members are off to Sri Lanka to take part in the International Masters Cricket (IMC)’s Over-50s World Cup. The tournament takes place from 9-23 February, and matches will be played in and around Colombo.

For Yahya, this is a dream come true. Although he played competitive cricket when he was still a young player, he never had the opportunity to compete at the international level. Currently, he only plays the sport for enjoyment. “We don’t practise, we just go out and play,” he says, but he hopes that he can transfer his knowledge and skills to a younger generation of players.

In 2022, he lived in Tanzania where he was coaching the country’s U/19 men’s side and the women’s side. After that, he also had a stint coaching the Eswatini senior side. He hopes to secure another coaching position and use the experience gained by playing at the masters’ level.

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Anton van Zyl

Anton van Zyl has been with the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror since 1990. He graduated from the Rand Afrikaans University (now University of Johannesburg) and obtained a BA Communications degree. He is a founder member of the Association of Independent Publishers.

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