Ahead of the new domestic season in South Africa, Boland's coach Justin Ontong is confident, welcoming a new chapter for the team. Boland is preparing for a tough opening challenge against the defending champions, the Lions, who will meet at the Wanderers stadium on Thursday.
Ontong believes that Boland's refreshed squad possesses an ideal combination of experience and character, which will allow them to turn potential into trophies. The team enters the 2026/27 campaign after saying goodbye to several experienced players, including Shaun van Berg, Clyde Fortuin, Avive Mgidjim, and Ayabulelu Gqumane.
However, the team from Paarl has significantly strengthened its ranks by attracting proven talent both internationally and domestically. Among the newcomers are former Proteas Test captain Neil Brand and international fast bowler Lizaad Williams, as well as experienced fast bowler Glenton Stuurman, who will lead the team this season.
Boland will also be able to count on last season's best four-day tournament batsman, Gavin Kaplan, who, having posted a season with 903 runs, will take an important place in the squad.
CSA Four-Day Domestic series
At the launch of the Boland season on Monday, where the new sponsor Dafabet was introduced, Ontong stated: 'Yes, a new season means new beginnings—almost a completely new team.' He added that despite losing some experienced players, they have replaced them with figures such as Neil Brand, who captained the Proteas in a Test match in New Zealand, and Lizaad Williams from the Proteas.
'There is a lot of experience, as well as guys at the domestic level who played for very successful teams and know how to win trophies,' Ontong noted.
Preparation for the start of the season was thorough. While some senior players spent the off-season abroad honing their skills in competitive cricket, the rest of the team participated in intensive domestic training before heading to Gqeberha for a familiarization tour against the Warriors.
Ontong's main priority in the last two weeks of preparation was integrating the newcomers into Boland's known, family-oriented atmosphere. He emphasized: 'We have always been proud of creating a family environment off the field. The lads have fit in perfectly. Regarding teamwork in training and our conversations, it has been very good. When the first ball is bowled on Thursday, and we see how the game unfolds, we will start to see the true character of the guys.'
The coach is particularly enthusiastic about his revamped fast bowling attack. Williams' return to full fitness after being in Sri Lanka and his diligent work on increasing his workload with the red ball promise to create a deadly threat for the leading opposition sides in partnership with Stuurman.
Ontong smiled, saying: 'If you play against an opponent, and they look at the player list and see Glenton Stuurman and 'Lidzi' opening the bowling, there is this little nervousness. Lidzi has character. When the temperature reaches 40 degrees in Paarl, and everyone starts to quiet down, that is when you need personalities like that to maintain engagement. I am just very grateful that he is on my team.'
Although the team was close to winning a trophy in recent seasons, Ontong urges his squad to embrace difficult moments and master critical, tense situations, starting on Thursday in Johannesburg. He admitted: 'It will never be an easy trip. There will be a lot of learning, and it is about how quickly we recover from setbacks in the game. We talked a lot about winning those small moments and progressing to the big moment, which ultimately is the attempt to reclaim the trophy.'