Gauteng (cricket team)

Gauteng (formerly Transvaal) is the first-class cricket team of the southern parts of Gauteng province of South Africa. The team was called Transvaal from April 1890 to April 1997 (the area north of Johannesburg, including Pretoria being part of the Northerns, formerly Northern Transvaal). Under the main competition's various names – the Currie Cup, then the Castle Cup, now the SuperSport Series – Transvaal/Gauteng cricket team has been the most successful of the South African domestic sides, winning 25 times. The club's most glorious period was the 1980s when they were dubbed the "Mean Machine".

For the purposes of the SuperSport Series, Gauteng merged with North West (formerly Western Transvaal) to form the Highveld Lions or, more simply, "the Lions" (from October 2004 to 2021).

Honours

• Currie Cup (25) - 1889–90, 1894–95, 1902–03, 1903–04, 1904–05, 1906–07, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1929–30, 1934–35, 1950–51, 1958–59, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1999–00; shared (4) - 1921–22, 1937–38, 1965–66, 1969–70
• Standard Bank Cup (6) - 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1992–93, 1997–98, 2003–04
• South African Airways Provincial Three-Day Challenge (2) - 2006–07, 2012–13; 'shared (1) – 2014-15
• South African Airways Provincial One-Day Challenge (1) - 2007–08
• Gillette/Nissan Cup (9) - 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1990–91

Squad

In April 2021, Cricket South Africa confirmed the following squad ahead of the 2021–22 season.

• Bjorn Fortuin
• Wiaan Mulder
• Lutho Sipamla
• Kagiso Rapulana
• Ryan Rickelton
• Joshua Richards
• Sisanda Magala
• Dominic Hendricks
• Tladi Bokako
• Malusi Siboto
• Duanne Olivier
• Ruan Haasbroek
• Tshepo Ntuli
• Mitchell van Buuren
• Codi Yusuf
• Levert Manje
• Kagiso Rabada
• Rassie van der Dussen
• Temba Bavuma
• Reeza Hendricks

Former players

Among the notable players are: Clive Rice, Jimmy Cook, Sylvester Clarke, Graeme Pollock, Alvin Kallicharran, Roy Pienaar, Hugh Page, Richard Snell, Henry Fotheringham, Ray Jennings and Rohan Kanhai.

Venues

Venues have included:

• Old Wanderers, Johannesburg (1891–1946)
• Berea Park, Pretoria (occasional venue Dec 1906 - Jan 1932; Northerns venue from 1937)
• Willowmoore Park, Benoni (occasional venue Dec 1923 - Dec 1931; Northerns venue from 1948)
• Ellis Park, Johannesburg (1946–1956)
• New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (1956–present)
• Vereeniging Brick and Tile Recreation Ground (one game in 1966)
• New Wanderers No 1 Oval, Johannesburg (occasional venue Nov 1968 - Dec 1991)
• Strathvaal Cricket Club A Ground, Stilfontein (occasional venue Dec 1963 - March 1976)
• South African Defence Force Ground, Potchefstroom (one game in Dec 1972)
• Lenasia Stadium, Johannesburg South (occasional venue Jan 1977 - Nov 2002)
• George Lea Sports Club, Johannesburg (two games in 1983)
• Dick Fourie Stadium, Vereeniging (two matches 1989–1991)
• NF Oppenheimer Ground, Randjesfontein (three matches 1995–2004)

Sources

• South African Cricket Annual – various editions
• Wisden Cricketers' Almanack – various editions
• "Cricinfo"