Juan James replaces David Teeger as South Africa’s captain at Under-19 World Cup
Cricket South Africa on Sunday announced that Western Province all-rounder Juan James has been appointed to captain the South African team at the upcoming Under 19 Cricket World Cup to be held in the country.
James’ appointment comes after David Teeger was stripped of the captaincy due to fears he might be targeted by protesters during the tournament.
On Monday last week, CSA said they had been advices there would be protests at various venues related to Israel’s continued bombardment of Gaza.
Last year, Teeger was cleared of violating the CSA and Lions code of conduct, for his stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
An inquiry found that Teeger was entitled to make remarks in his personal capacity to a Jewish audience, which was unrelated to cricket.
Teeger said at the Absa Jewish Achiever Rising Star awards in October: “Yes, I've been (given) this award, and, yes, I'm now the Rising Star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel”.
Palestine SA also called for Teeger to be suspended from the team in November.
Over the weekend, Cricket South Africa faced criticism from the Democratic Alliance and the SA Zionist Federation for stripping Teeger of the captaincy.
“This decision, purportedly made due to 'security' considerations as a result of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, is a blatant act of discrimination and antisemitism against a Jewish player,” the SA Zionist Federation said in a statement condemning the decision.
“The action taken against Teeger, who is Jewish, solely based on his religious identity and personal beliefs, is deeply troubling and sets a dangerous precedent for sports in this country.”
The DA went on to demand Teeger be reinstated as captain, or they will complain to the SA Human Rights Commission.
Read Cricket South Africa’s full statement
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has today announced that Western Province all-rounder Juan James will captain South Africa Under-19 (SA U19) at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024.
The 19-year-old will the lead the junior Proteas in the 15th edition of the tournament with the hosts set to get their campaign underway against West Indies on Friday, 19 January at JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom.
James previously captained SA U19 during the five-match 50-over series against Bangladesh in July last year, where he led the side in the third and fifth match of the youth series.
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