Jonty Rhodes to lend fielding expertise to Lions next season
The Central Gauteng Lions have taken advantage of their sponsor Mahindra to land Jonty Rhodes as fielding coach for the next 12 months.
Rhodes will start working with the Lions this off-season but his role will stretch much further than working with the Lions' senior men's team.
'He'll be involved with our development pipe, have workshops with clubs and schools and our women's team and the junior sides. We want him to have a holistic approach,' said Lions CEO Jono Leaf-Wright.
Rhodes, 55, has been a brand ambassador for the Indian car manufacturer which has had a commercial partnership with the union. Rhodes, who played 52 Tests, joins an already star-studded coaching line-up headed by Russell Domingo and including Hashim Amla, Allan Donald and Garnett Kruger, while former Proteas wicketkeeper Trisha Chetty is also attached to the union's women's team.
Rhodes will work with the union until the end of next season, but Leaf-Wright said it wouldn't necessarily include accompanying the men's team to every match.
'We want our players to be exposed to the best expertise, not only to help them grow as cricketers but also as people, and appointing someone such as Jonty is part of that process.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
5 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Proteas inch closer to World Test Championship Mace after Markram and Bavuma batting masterclass
South Africa 138 and 213 for 2 (Aiden Markram 102*, Temba Bavuma 65*, Mitchell Starc 2-53) need 69 runs to beat Australia 212 and 207 (Starc 58, Alex Carey 43, Kagiso Rabada 4-59, Lungi Ngidi 3-38). Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma have batted the Proteas to the verge of history at Lord's against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. They need 69 runs to clinch the Test mace with two days of action still available to play. Australia, dismissed for 207 in their second innings, set the Proteas a winning target of 282, which in the context of the low-scoring encounter, seemed almost impossible. But the dream is closer to reality after an aggressive response with the bat that has taken the Proteas to the brink of one of South African cricket's greatest achievements. The two most senior South African batters were undefeated at the crease at the close of play on day three, having led the team to 213 for two at stumps, putting on an unbroken 143-run third-wicket stand. Markram is the second South African in this match who will have his name etched into the Lord's Honour's Board at the conclusion of the WTC final, having struck an incredible century under pressure. Zero to hero The opener has gone from zero (dismissed for a duck in the first innings) to hero, carving out an appealing 102 off 159 deliveries, caressing 11 fours on his way to his eighth Test century. Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma, meanwhile, limped his way to 65 off 121 balls, with five boundary fours smacked. Bavuma, while fluent in his strokeplay, had a literal limp caused by a left hamstring strain, sustained while running through for a quick single. It meant the skipper and vice-captain couldn't take any quick singles. Despite that, the pair put on 143 runs for the third wicket in a display of batting of the highest magnitude under extreme pressure. Bavuma's innings was one of courage, skill and supreme commitment to his teammates and his country when they needed their leader to set the tone. What transpired with the bat on day three was a dream for Bavuma. But it was very nearly a nightmare when he edged a Mitchell Starc snorter to Steve Smith at a very close first slip, with a helmet on — as the edges had been falling short all Test match. But instead of pouching the chance, Smith snatched at the ball that flew at him and dropped the ball. Bavuma was on two at the time, and South Africa on 76 for two in the 20th over. The Proteas had also lost Wiaan Mulder in Starc's previous over so would have opened up an end. Bavuma survived and made the most of his good fortune, as the best players tend to do. For Smith, to add injury to insult, he suffered a compound dislocation of his right little finger while attempting the catch. He was taken to the hospital for x-rays. Morning frustration Earlier in the day, Australia's tail wagged to proportions of concern. Starc (58 off 136), in at nine, struck his 11th Test half century to guide Australia from 144 for eight overnight to 207 all out and extended Australia's lead to 282. Kagiso Rabada trapped Nathan Lyon LBW in the third over of the morning — to claim his ninth wicket of the match — but Starc and Josh Hazlewood (17 off 53) batted through the rest of the morning session, putting on 59 runs in their last wicket stand — Australia's second highest partnership in the innings. Hazlewood eventually became Markram's fifth Test scalp as the teams went into lunch with one innings in the Test match remaining, and knowing exactly what was needed to claim the WTC mace. The batting success of Australia's lower order, although frustrating for the Proteas, proved that conditions were finally okay for batting after two days of batters poking and prodding while attempting to get bat to ball. While 28 wickets fell across the first two days; only four fell on day three. Australia bowling coach Daniel Vettori suggested that the lack of cloud cover for the duration of day three's play, as well as the pitch becoming placid (as experts on the playing conditions at Lord's have suggested will happen) assisted the significant drop-off in wickets. In the same vein, Vettori credited Bavuma and Markam's vigil. 'It has been difficult scoring but South Africa made the most of those conditions. But also, it was an exceptional partnership,' Vettori said. 'They navigated the tricky times and then were able to put pressure back on us through their running [and] through their ability to dissect the field. It was a real clinic from those two.'
The Citizen
10 hours ago
- The Citizen
Fighting Proteas dig deep against Australia in Test final
South Africa need 69 runs to win in their second innings, with eight wickets in hand, to win the world title. Proteas captain Temba Bavuma and opening batter Aiden Markram during the third day of the World Test Championship final against Australia. Picture: Paul Harding/Gallo Images Opening batter Aiden Markram and captain Temba Bavuma kept South Africa in contention on Friday, sharing an unbroken partnership to carry the match into day four in the World Test Championship final against Australia in London. Returning to the crease for their second innings at the start of the afternoon session on day three, South Africa were set a target of 282 runs to win. At the close of play, they had reached 213/2, still needing 69 runs to secure the global title with eight wickets in hand and two days remaining. Markram was on 102 not out and Bavuma, who was struggling with a left hamstring strain, was unbeaten on 65 when stumps were drawn. Australia second innings Earlier, in the morning session, Australia resumed their second innings at 144/8, and tail-ender Micthell Starc stuck his heels in, carrying his team to 207 all out. Starc was persistent, hitting 58 not out off 136 balls – his 11th Test after spending more than three hours at the crease – but he ran out of partners at the lunch break. Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who bagged five wickets in Australia's first innings, took 4/59 to return match figures of 9/110. He was well supported by seamer Lungi Ngidi who took 3/38 after going wicketless in the first innings of the match.
The Herald
13 hours ago
- The Herald
Erasmus building depth and experience while keeping an eye on 2027 World Cup
'That said, it doesn't mean those players are the only ones who will be in the mix this year. There are players who are returning from injury within the next few weeks and months and we would like to see some of the players who have been playing well get a chance this season.' With their opening match of the season against the Barbarians about two weeks away, Erasmus said the focus in the next two weeks and in the match will be to get their structures in place as they prepare for a challenging international season. 'It's difficult to plan around the Barbarians because they are a team consisting of players from many different countries, so our focus in that match will be our game and what we want to achieve,' he said. 'It will serve as a good opportunity for the players who have returned from Japan to get back into the swing of things and perhaps to give a few players who have not played Test rugby a feel of what it is to play at this level.' Erasmus also gave an injury update that Trevor Nyakane, Frans Malherbe, Deon Fourie, Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom are nursing long-term injuries. But Gerhard Steenekamp, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Ben-Jason Dixon, Augustus and Lukhanyo Am have to be cleared medically before they will be available for selection. Jasper Wiese, Grant Williams and Makazole Mapimpi, who are also carrying niggling injuries, are expected to return to action in the coming weeks.
