Nearly half of the Proteas squad come from four schools

Just four schools produced 10 of the 25 players in the Proteas men’s squad, with most of the team attending schools in Gauteng.

These include St Stithians, Grey High School, Pretoria Boys’ High School, and Wynberg Boys’ High School.

While the Proteas’ contracted team for the 2025/26 season only comprises 20 players, several others have been included in matchday squads across the various formats.

Five of these players attended St Stithians College, a private school in Sandton that has produced several South African and other international cricketers over the years.

However, only four of them graduated from the secondary school, with Lhuan-dre Pretorius having moved to Cornwall Hill College for his matric year.

Pretorius is a left-handed batsman made his debut for South Africa during a test match against Zimababwe in June this year.

His score of 153 runs during the match made him the youngest South African to score a century on test debut at just 19-years old.

Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada also attended the school, matriculating in 2013 before winning the Under-19 World Cup in 2014. 

He went on to take six wickets for 16 runs in his international ODI debut in 2015, which was a record at the time. He also scored a hat-trick during the match.

Since making his debut in 2015, Rabada has taken 336 wickets in the 71 matches played over the decade.

Ryan Rickleton matriculated from St Stithians the year after Rabada. However, had to wait several years before being called up to play for South Africa.

He eventually debuted in 2022 in a test match against Bangladesh and played his first ODI for the country the following year. Rickleton has scored 638 runs in the 11 matches he has played for the Proteas.

Wiaan Mulder is also a St Stithians Alumnus, who was notably the leading wicket-taker during the 2016 Under-19 World Cup.

Mulder made his first-class debut while still at school, and his South African debut was in an ODI in 2017 at age 19.

Kwena Maphaka, who matriculated in the same year as Pretorius, is one of the country’s most exciting young talents, making his IPL debut before appearing for South Africa’s first team.

After taking 21 wickets at an average of 9.71 at the Under-19 World Cup, the Mumbai Indians acquired Maphaka as a backup bowler.

Later that year, he made his international debut in a T20 International against the West Indies, replacing the injured Lungi Ngidi.

Other school producing Proteas

Only three other schools have produced more than one player in the Proteas squad: Grey High School, Pretoria Boys’ High School and Wynberg Boys’ High School.

Tristan Stubbs and Matthew Breetzke matriculated from Grey High School in the Eastern Cape, both making their debuts in T20 Internationals in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Pretoria Boys’ High School produced Corbin Bosch and Aiden Markram, the current captain of the Proteas’ T20 side. Markram made his international debut in 2017, with Bosch making his in late 2024.

Kyle Verreynne and David Bedingham are alumni of Wynberg Boys’ High School in Cape Town. They made their debuts in 2020 and 2023, respectively.

Schools by province

When comparing the schools attended by the Protea squad in the province they are located in, Gauteng stands out as South Africa’s cricket powerhouse.

Thirteen of the 25 players attended Gauteng-based schools, which include St Stithians, St David’s College, Affies, Pretoria Boys’ High School, Hoërskool Monument, Waterstone College, Hoërskool Menlo Park, and King Edward VII School (KES).

The province with the second-highest number of Proteas by school was KwaZulu-Natal. These schools included Maritzburg College, Hilton College, Clifton High School, and Northwood School.

The Western Cape followed with three, and the Eastern Cape with two.

2025 school rankings

Rondebosch Boys ‘ High School in Cape Town took top spot in the first half of the 2025 season, according to Sportmans Warehouse’s First XI cricket rankings as of 10 March.

After 16 matches, they had an average bonus point score of 27.76, more than two points ahead of second-place Affies, which finished the season with 25.40 points.

Rondebosch rivals Bishops finished in third, followed by Garsfontein, KES, Durban High School, and Westville.