City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith has expressed the organisation’s support for the Over-50s Cricket World Cup, set to begin across various venues on 6 March.
“The City of Cape Town is thrilled to be supporting the over-50s Cricket World Cup as sporting events have been leading our calendar this year. We are excited to welcome all the top cricket veterans from around the world back to our beautiful city after the tournament was sadly halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.”
The tournament, which hosts 14 teams including South Africa, takes place from 6-20 March, with the Final being played at the iconic Newlands Cricket Ground.
Ambassadors for the prestigious tournament include South Africa cricketers Omar Henry, Mike Procter and Barry Richards, and the Proteas Veterans team will be captained by former provincial and national team player Louis Koen.
South Africa is competing in Division B against India, Pakistan, Wales, Namibia, England and UAE, and is one of the favourites to feature in the decider, given the all-round quality of the squad and the additional experience of former national team players Alan Dawson and Clive Eksteen, and provincial players including South Western Districts fast bowler James Albanie.
“It’s going to be a challenge playing so many games in such a short space of time, but we have a really strong squad with big-game players throughout. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves, but we’re aiming to play at Newlands on March 20,” said Koen.
Matches are free to attend, begin at 10:30 on each match day, and will be played at various venues across Cape Town, including Claremont Cricket Club, Western Province Cricket Club, Green Point Cricket Club and Cape Town Cricket Club, as well as at the University of Stellenbosch and several high schools in the area.
Alderman JP Smith added, “The City is committed to providing an enabling environment to ensure the athletes showcase the best of their ability and we are eager to see experienced players continue their dedication to cricket. We wish all the players, officials, the fans, organising committee a successful tournament.”