Unbeaten Madibaz power their way to USSA cricket promotion

The Madibaz celebrate after winning the B-section of the USSA tournament in Bloemfontein recently. The result saw them being promoted to the A-section in 2025.

A strong start to the USSA cricket tournament in Bloemfontein recently laid the foundation for the Madibaz A team to win promotion to the A-section in 2025.

The Mandela University side – guided by coach Garth Anderson and captain Buvayise Manyakanyaka – won all five of their matches to put the finishing touches on a satisfying week.

The opportunity to compete in the premier division again was a major boost for Madibaz cricket for a number of reasons, Anderson said.

“It is very important to participate in the A-section as this will allow us to be part of the Varsity Sport T20 if it returns to the calendar next year.

“It also enables us to attract and recruit the best schoolboy cricketers from our region and around the country.”

Starting their bid for promotion, Madibaz outclassed North-West University Vaal by 180 runs on the opening day.

That created a wave of momentum that saw them sweep past the Fort Hare University and Madibaz B in the pool rounds followed by wins against Tshwane University of Technology (semi-final) and Fort Hare University (final) in their remaining matches to emerge clear-cut B-pool champions.

The opening win was one of several factors contributing to their success.

“Conditioning was critical going into the week as we knew we would have to deal with the heat of Bloemfontein,” Anderson, whose charges made royal use of the expertise locked up at the Madibaz High Performance Complex, said.

They also had a biokineticist as part of the support staff at the tournament to promote functional recovery and top physical performance.

On the field, Anderson pinpointed a high level of consistency as key.

“The players excelled by executing the game plan within their individual roles and their match awareness was very good.”

This meant being able to navigate their way out of sticky situations and moving the game forward when they needed to.

Anderson emphasised how the team had pulled together under the astute captaincy of Manyakanyaka.

“A cool, stern and calculated captain. I could always rely on him to marshal the troops on the field.”

Allrounder Wezo Gqiba, who scored 263 runs and took 11 wickets at an economy rate of 1.3 runs per over, was the pick of the players in earning his four man of the match awards.

These stats saw him taking the batsman and player of the week accolades in the B-section. He was also selected for the tournament team, which was picked from across both sections.

With 14 scalps, Ian Baard was the leading wicket-taker and bowler of the week in the B-section while Micaiah Coltman stood out with his haul of 11 sticks.

Anderson said they would now switch their attention to the Nelson Mandela Bay leagues, where they had been the losing Twenty20 finalists and are currently unbeaten in the 50-overs competition.

There were also a number of goals set for individual players, he said. Should these be achieved, it will contribute to the overall strength of the Madibaz.