KES pupil to captain SA school cricket team in India
HOUGHTON - King Edward VII School pupil and Old Edwardian Society member Yaseen Valli will lead the South African Schools U19 cricket team on their upcoming Indian tour.
The team will take part in a quadrangular series against Australia, Zimbabwe and India in September.
According to the society’s Mike Dunk, seven matches will be played, followed by the final. All matches will be 50 overs a side.
Valli played in the U19 team that beat England 5-0 in Cape Town earlier this year, and he captained the team on one occasion.
“Eight or nine players from that series will go to India with us. This will lend a lot of experience to the team,” said Valli.
Former South African wicket keeper and batsman Ray Jennings will coach the team.
Valli said the tour would be part of the team’s preparation for the World Cup to be held in Dubai next year.
The young captain hails from a footballing family, and only started playing cricket when he first went to King Edward VII Preparatory School.
“I loved football in Lenasia, and then when I went to Keps, I ‘found’ cricket,” he said.
His highest score at school was 122 against St John’s College, and thus far, Valli has just fallen short of a 1st team 100, with 98.
“Valli started playing for the society in 2007, in the Sunday 1st team, and has a highest score of 102. He made his Premier League debut in 2011. He is an accomplished all-round cricketer, as he bowls off spin to great effect,” said Dunk.
Valli will follow in the footsteps of former KES pupil Quinton de Kock, who captained the U19 schoolboy team two years ago.
