A group of 19 Argentine boys left for South Africa on Sunday 17 January for a two week tour, including seven days of fixtures against Western Cape schools and junior combinations. Each day of matches will see two matches played, by an A and B team respectively, with some boys playing in both games, or the B team completed by local players.

The team will also have the opportunity to watch provincial one-day cricket at Newlands, as well as a full program of excursions, including visits to Robben Island, Table Mountain and a nearby game reserve.

Lautaro Musiani
Lautaro Musiani

The squad is captained by Lautaro Musiani, the 14 year old all-rounder who sprang to prominence in the recent ICC Americas U19 championship, while senior national team captain and ACA development manager, Esteban MacDermott is coach of the group.

For MacDermott, this will not be his first visit to South Africa, and he has no doubts about the value of the experience for the young players.

 “I had the chance to travel to South Africa myself when I was younger, and it is definitely an experience that makes us better players and better persons. To spend time in a Test country is a great experience and gives the boys a real idea of how important cricket is in these countries. To be able to watch cricket on TV and read about it in the newspapers, and to see that every club and school has cricket amongst their main sports will make a huge impact on these boys.”

 

 

 

 

 

The team will be based in the beautiful surroundings of Paarl for the tour, but will play games in various locations across the Western Cape. The full match itinerary is as follows:

Tuesday 19: vs Paarl Gymnasium U14

Thursday 21: vs Paarl Boys U14

Sunday 24: vs Hugenote Invitation XI

Monday 25: vs Bridge House School U13

Wednesday 27: vs Wynberg College U14

Thursday 28: vs Hugenote Primary U13

Saturday 30: vs Hugo Rust U14

 

Argentine Cricket Association CEO, Grant Dugmore, himself a South African, commented:

“Cape Town in my opinion is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and the Western Cape a very special region to visit, and apart from the cricket on the field, I have no doubt this tour will be unforgettable for all involved. I am sure the tour will also one day be remembered as an important stepping stone for many future Argentine international cricketers.”

Ignacio Pizzo
Ignacio Pizzo

 

The full playing squad on tour in South Africa is as follows:

Lomas: Lautaro Musiani (Capt), Ignacio Pizzo, Martin Peralta, Martin Rost

San Albano: Tomas Casal, Patricio Cores, Ramiro Escobar, James MacGaw, Felipe Abate, Nicolas Serrano

Rosario: Felipe Nogues, Aquiles Peirolo Sola, Federico Martin, Francisco De La Rosa, Francisco Becares, Pedro Bisio, Diego Redondo Cripovich, Valentin Tumosa

Hurlingham: Ezequiel Gonzalez Sutil

The team is being accompanied by four officials:

Christian Tunon (Manager), Maurice Runnacles (Asst.Manager), Esteban MacDermott (Coach) and Juan Williams (Asst.Coach).

 

Team manager, Christian Tunon, stressed how important these tours are for Argentine cricket.

“I am a great believer that playing at a high standard pushes you to improve your own game, and South Africa is a great place to make our boys better players. We are pretty isolated in a cricket sense in South America, so tours like this one to South Africa, or other important cricket countries such as Australia or New Zealand, are very important for developing young players. The boys have put a lot of hard work in preparing for this tour and we expect nothing but positives to come out of this trip.”