Ahead of the 2024 U-19 World Cup set to be hosted by South Africa, Proteas captain David Teeger has been relieved of his duties in the wake of potential protests after his comments supporting the Israel Army amid their ongoing conflict with Israel. Cricket South Africa (CSA) released an official statement regarding the same, saying that Teeger's presence as captain could lead to unrest among both groups' supporters at the venues.
Teeger came under the spotlight in late 2023 as his comments supporting Israel Army came two weeks after Hamas' attack on the country amid the conflict in Gaza. Having named as the Rising Star at the ABSA Jewish Achiever Awards ceremony on October 22nd, the 19-year-old said the following in his acceptance speech, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"But more importantly, yes, I've been awarded this award, and yes, I am now the rising star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel… So I'd like to dedicate this award to the South African family that married off one son whilst the other is still missing. And I'd like to dedicate it to the state of Israel and to every single soldier fighting so that we can live and thrive in the diaspora."
CSA investigated into his comments to determine whether he had violated the CSA and Lions' Cricket codes of conduct. However, the board cleared him to play and appointed him captain.
Tournament was moved to South Africa from Sri Lanka:
Meanwhile, the U-19 T20 World Cup was to initially take place in Sri Lanka; however, it had to moved to the rainbow nation after ICC suspended the SLC. With the country also hosting SA20 currently, the U19 World Cup will take place in smaller grounds such as Benoni, Potchefstroom, Kimberley and East London.
The Proteas finished at the bottom of the table in the previous edition.
