August 1, 2024

Emilio Gay to Depart Northants, Set for Durham Move

Emilio Gay has decided to leave Northamptonshire at the end of the season after declining their offer of a contract extension. He is expected to join Durham.

At 24 years old, Gay has been a key player for Northamptonshire since making his first-class debut in 2019. He has been with the club since he was 15 and has become a fixture in their top order. The left-handed batter has a solid first-class record, with an average of 35.71 from 47 matches, including 19 scores over fifty and six centuries.

In 2024, Gay has been in outstanding form, amassing 860 runs at an impressive average of 61.42 in Division Two of the County Championship. His standout performance included a career-best 261 against Middlesex in April. He has also played 39 white-ball matches for Northamptonshire.

“After the most important, and memorable decade of my life, this season will be my last with Northamptonshire,” Gay said in a statement released on Thursday. “Northamptonshire enabled me to fulfil my childhood dream, to become a professional cricket player.

“Thank you to everyone at NCCC. Hopefully I will make the club proud. Over the last decade at Northants there have been so many people who have helped me progress. I will never be able to thank all my team-mates, the coaches, staff and fans enough. Northants will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you.”

Northamptonshire put on record that they were “naturally disappointed” to lose a homegrown they had nurtured, and wished Gay well for the next chapter of his career.

John Sadler, the club’s head coach, said: “From early we always believed Emilio would become a high-class batsman. He has a great work ethic and this is one of the reasons his game has developed so rapidly over the last two years. It is a shame that Emilio’s future doesn’t lie with us, but he is very ambitious and believes a fresh challenge will be the best thing for him on his quest to play international cricket. We wish him well and will all enjoy watching his career unfold.”

Durham’s signing of Emilio Gay, known as one of the country’s most naturally talented batters, is a smart move for the club. They are also set to add Will Rhodes to their squad. Rhodes will join Durham from Warwickshire after choosing not to extend his contract with his current team.

Brand to Lead South Africa A’s Four-day Squad vs SL; Verreynne Named White-ball Captain

Neil Brand, the former Test captain who led South Africa’s second-string side in New Zealand earlier this year, will now lead South Africa A against Sri Lanka A next month. Brand will oversee a home series consisting of two four-day matches, aimed at preparing players on the edge of the national team. Before the four-day games, there will be three one-day matches, with Test wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne leading the white-ball squad.

The four-day squad includes Matthew Breetzke, currently on the Test tour to the West Indies, and Dewald Brevis, a standout from the 2022 Under-19 World Cup, who is in both squads. Other notable players in the squads are David Bedingham, who scored a Test century in New Zealand, Tony de Zorzi, who debuted in ODIs last year, and Tristan Luus, who played in the Under-19 World Cup.

The squads feature a significant number of black African players, surpassing the national target of having at least two black African players per XI on average each season. The one-day squad includes six black African players, while the four-day squad has four. Notable players include allrounder Mihlali Mpongwana, who is currently captaining the South African Emerging squad in Zimbabwe, and Lutho Sipamla, who has 17 international caps but has faced recent injury issues. The four-day squad also features batters Tshepang Dithole and Sinethemba Qeshile, while the one-day squad includes batters Andile Mokgakane and Andile Simelane, and allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo.

The squad selections highlight Cricket South Africa’s commitment to developing more black African batting talent as they prepare for the 2027 home ODI World Cup. Currently, Temba Bavuma is the only black African player regularly featured in ODIs, and there were no black African batters at the recent T20 World Cup. CSA’s recent Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion conference stressed the importance of increasing black African representation at the provincial level, aligning with the call from white-ball coach Rob Walter for enhanced transformation in domestic cricket.

The series will take place from August 31 to September 18. Both squads were selected by Walter and Test coach Shukri Conrad. Conrad will oversee the entire tour, while Walter will be busy with the national team on trips to the West Indies and the UAE. The one-day matches will be played in Potchefstroom, and the four-day games will take place in Kimberley and Benoni.

The South Africa A one-day squad includes: Kyle Verreynne (captain), David Bedingham, Eathan Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Dayyaan Galiem, Tristan Luus, Mihlali Mpongwana, Andile Mokgakane, Senuran Muthusamy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla, and Codi Yusuf. The four-day squad consists of: Neil Brand (captain), Marques Ackerman, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Tshepang Dithole, Jean du Plessis, Patrick Kruger, Rivaldo Moonsamy, Mihlali Mpongwana, Migael Pretorius, Sinethemba Qeshile, Lutho Sipamla, Prenelan Subrayen, Beyers Swanepoel, and Codi Yusuf.