‘We want to make SA proud’

DURBAN North resident, Luke Bricknell, is confident about his team’s prospects in this year’s World Junior Series to be held at the Toombul Indoor Sports Centre in Brisbane, Australia. The Northwood School Grade 9 pupil was recently named captain of the South African U16 action cricket squad. The 14-year-old said captaining the national squad was one of the greatest achievements of his cricketing career so far, but he was under no illusions about how tough the competition will be.

“This is going to be a huge learning curve for the team, but we are excited about causing some upsets. It will give us a chance to see where we are in terms of skill levels and performance. We will be playing Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England and Singapore, which is no small task.

“Australia is one of the best squads and because action cricket is a school sport, they are odds-on favourites. But we aren’t going to back down, we are going to give them a good fight and make South Africa proud,” he said.

Being selected for the action cricket national squad seems to be a Bricknell family trait, as Luke’s brother, Matthew, was named in the U14 national squad. His father has also represented South Africa for action cricket in the masters squad.

“My dad, mom and brother have been a great support. Not many siblings get a chance to play for the national squads and cheer each other on. It will definitely be a confidence boost, having Matthew cheer for me when I’m playing,” he said.

The tournament, which starts in September, will showcase some of the best young indoor talent.