New faces in Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen bag South Africa central contracts

Marco Jansen. (Photo Source: Lee Warren/Gallo Images)

Cricket South Africa recently came forward to announce their central contracts for the 2023-24 season. The list of players was released on Saturday, March 11, and it features 20 players, including a lot of new faces. In a recent development, the board made the decision to increase the number of contracted players from 16 to 20. The authorities opined that this will help them have a wider pool of players that can feature both white ball and red ball specialists.

Marco Jansen and Tristan Stubbs were awarded their maiden central contract for South Africa, but apart from them, there were many new names like Bjorn Fortuin, Sisanda Magala, and Ryan Rickelton who were awarded their maiden contracts.

The board took to social media to share the complete list of 20 contracted players for the 2023–24 season, and it featured some big names like Temba Bavuma, Dean Elgar, Quinton De Kock, David Miller, and many more. Following the announcement of their contracted players, the CEO of Cricket South Africa, Pholetsi Moseki, came forward to give his opinion on the mix of younger and more experienced players that they have gathered.

Excited by the mix of experienced and younger players: CEO Pholetsi Moseki

Moseki felt that having a mix of youth and experience is the road ahead to making a formidable world class team. Probably, having split coaches too is part of CSA’s strategy to achieve the same. “We are really excited by the mix of experienced and younger players that have been contracted this season as we continue to build a world-class outfit under the leadership of red and white ball head coaches Shukri Conrad and Rob Walter,” Moseki told ICC.

The Director of Cricket for CSA, Enoch Nkwe, also came forward to give his take, as he echoed similar thinking. “The number of contracted players has increased from 16 to 20 this season to ensure that we have a wider pool of white-ball specialists and Test players,” Nkwe stated.

“We look forward to seeing them compete at the highest level in what is an important next 12 months for the limited-overs and Test sides, with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup taking place later this year as well as the start of the new World Test Championship cycle,” he concluded.