Warriors' Christiaan Jonker called up to Proteas ODI and T20 squads

Firebrand Warriors batsman Christiaan Jonker will again pull on Protea colours after receiving a call up for the One Day International and T20I series against Zimbabwe later this month.

Jonker, who made his Proteas debut in the T20 squad in a series against India in February this year, scoring 49, received his first call up to the 50 over team, something he is “very excited” about.

“I am very excited to be part of the group again after my last stint with the team against India, I have had some good innings last season, where I managed to win games at the back end of the innings for my franchise, so I will be trying hard to replicate those performances for the SA team in the 50 over format” added Jonker.

Jonker credits the exploits of The Warriors as a major role player in his selection. The franchise won the Momentum One-Day Cup trophy, sharing it with the Hollywoodbets Dolphins and also made it to the semi–final in the RAM SLAM T20 Challenge,

“Obviously with the new coaches and new set up, they want to expand the horizon of play, and to ensure there is enough balance in the team, so if someone gets injured, there will be a replacement for that loss.

“I also think a series of consistent performances on my side also helped quite a bit in me getting the call up.

“The Warriors have been playing good cricket last season, so I think that helped a great deal, because when the team does well, individuals also get noticed,” Jonker added.

In addition to Jonker’s selection, Gihahn Cloete could make his Protea debut after being called up to the T20I squad.

In a bid to identify exciting, young talent, Matthew Breetzke, who represented SA under 19 World Cup in New Zealand, will join the squad with the aim of learning the ways and cultures of the camp.