Northerns duo in national academy squad

Durban: For Jacques Rudolph, the New Year is likely to bring the sort of riches which is the reward for hard work as the vice-captain of the South Africa Youth World Cup side settles into his first year out of school.

Along with his long-time chum, Johan Myburgh, also a Youth World Cup side member which is to shortly head for Sri Lanka, Rudolph has been included in the national Plascon Academy intake for 2000.

While Myburgh went to Pretoria Boys High and spent this year as part of the Northerns Academy, Rudolph attended Affies and passed his matric along with attending the leg-spinners course in Adelaide with Shane Warne guru, Terry Jenner.

Rudolph and the marginally older Free State leg-spin companion Andre Abrahams, looked on by Jenner as the two brighter stars in South Africa all but empty spin-bowling compartment, have been included in the squad of 19. A 20th member, from as yet an unnamed country, probably one of the African countries, will be part of the intake.

Jimmy Cook, the director of the academy, yesterday released the 19 South African names, suggesting it was better balanced than in past years, with the sixth intake containing six spinners along with assorted all-rounders.

Border wicketkeeper, Ian Mitchell, who takes the gloves when Mark Boucher is away on national duty, has been included along with Albie Morkel, the 18-year-old from Johannesburg who has had what Cook described as a ``tough time of it''. Playing domestically for Easterns, the youngster was excluded from the SA Schools side after the Nuffield Week in Potchefstroom earlier this month.

The squad: Andre Abrahams (Free State), Shaun Adam (Natal), Jonathan Beukes (FS), Laden Gamiet (Border), Donovan Koch (Boland), Pieter Koortzen (Griquas), Johnson Mafa (Gauteng), Rashaad Magiet (WP), Ashraf Mall (Natal), Ian Mitchell (Border), Albert Morkel (Easterns), Johan Myburgh (Northerns), Mfuneko Ngam (EP), Robin Petersen (EP), Andrew Puttick (WP), Jacques Rudolph (Northerns), Matthew Street (Gauteng), Johan van der Wath (FS).