Western Province duo Kyle Simmonds and Daniel Smith will be hoping to take the confidence of being picked up at the SA20 auction into their CSA T20 Challenge clash against North West Dragons at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom this evening (6pm start).
All-rounder Simmonds has had a taste of SA20 action before for the Joburg Super Kings, but was released after season 2.
Simmons need not be perturbed though for cross-town rivals Pretoria Capitals saw the opportunity and immediately brought the 30-year-old across to Centurion for his base price of R175 000.
The Capitals certainly have a distinct Western Province flavour to their squad, with both former WP captains Wayne Parnell and Kyle Verreynne already part of the roster.
Simmons is looking forward to joining up with Verreynne, who smashed the highest score in SA20 history of 116 not out at Centurion last season.
Ironically, Verryenne also previously played for JSK in season 1 before switching yellow for the sky blue of the Capitals.
“Very happy to be picked up by the Pretoria Capitals... obviously moving across from Joburg Super Kings, where I played last year,” Simmonds said.
“Looking forward to being with my good friend Kyle Verreynne in blue.
“I played in blue at Western Province, so I’m very happy to stay in blue. Looking forward to the gees up in Pretoria.”
Kyle Simmonds is a @PretoriaCapsSA !!!🥳#WPcricket #westernprovince #WSBNewlands #WSBWP🧡 #BoysInBlue💙 #BetwaySA20 pic.twitter.com/75OOAMLWFp
Smith, meanwhile, is gearing up for his first taste of SA20 action after being signed up as rookie by double champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
Unlike Simmonds, who has experienced it all before and therefore did not watch the auction, Smith was glued to the television throughout.
“I was actually watching the auction with my girlfriend at a restaurant, having a nice beer, so it was quite nice to celebrate it that,” Smith said.
“I’m super excited to be picked up at the auction. It’s a dream come true. The Sunrisers have put together a special group down there, so super excited to be a part of them. Super excited to meet the guys.
“It’s going to be action-packed. If you look at all the teams, they are very strong. It’s about getting together and becoming tight as a unit, and hopefully that helps us on the field to win another trophy.”
Daniel Smith is a @SunrisersEC !!!🥳#WPcricket #westernprovince #WSBNewlands #WSBWP🧡 #BoysInBlue💙 #BetwaySA20 pic.twitter.com/w391Qe90Yd
— Western Province Men (@WP_Blitz) October 1, 2024
Both Simmonds and Smith will be hoping to put in good performances for WP in Potchefstroom today to vindicate their SA20 call-ups.
Province will be seeking their first win of the 2024-25 season after their opening game against neighbours Boland at Newlands last week was abandoned due to heavy rain.
They will also be boosted with the return of Proteas Test batter and new Sunrisers Eastern Cape wildcard signing David Bedingham.
The Dragons will, meanwhile, be hoping to maintain their winning momentum after edging out the newly-promoted Knights in a tightly-contested affair in Bloemfontein.
Western Province Squad
Abdallah Bayoumy, Bongi Mfunelwa, Wesley Bedja, Dane Paterson, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Beuran Hendricks (captain), Kyle Simmonds, George Linde, Daniel Smith, Jono Bird, David Bedingham, Valentine Kitime, Eddie Moore, Mihlali Mpongwana.