Director of Cricket, Alan Kourie announced today the structure that professional cricket will take on at the Gauteng Cricket Board this season.

The approach will be a holistic one, bringing all aspects of cricket together and providing a blueprint. This blueprint will be implemented by the Provincial Technical Committee and will filter down from the Highveld Strikers through to schools cricket in the province. This will include everything from fitness training and sport psychology to coaching methods.

The Provincial Selection Committee, which will be responsible for the selection of players and the selection policy, will comprise of the following members:

Convenor: Alan Kourie
Members: Barry Skjoldhammer, David van der Knaap, Howie Burgens and Joubert Strydom.

The Provincial Technical Committee will concentrate its efforts on improving the current provincial squads and how they operate.

Convenor: Alan Kourie
Members: Dr M. Nyoka, Joubert Strydom, Howie Burgens, Lee Barnard, David van der Knaap and Mark O'Donnell.

The Highveld Strikers will be spearheaded once again by Captain Clive Eksteen and Vice Captain Adam Bacher. The Strikers have started their preparations for the new season in the form of fitness training (1 May2001). At the end of each month an assessment of each player will be made. The final assessment will be done in September. Players that do not attain a certain level of fitness will not be eligible for the Highveld Strikers this season. Those players currently playing overseas, Cullinan, Elliot, De Bruyn and Masimula have also received fitness programmes and will be subject to the September fitness assessment.

Alan Kourie, Director of Cricket said," My aim is to bring discipline, loyalty, pride and structure back to Gauteng Cricket and ensure that the Highveld Strikers will be a force to be reckoned with for a long time to come".

© Gauteng Cricket Board