How every AB de Villiers boundary is helping a kid in South Africa
AB de Villiers' return to Test cricket after a hiatus of two years has given the South African side a much-needed boost ahead of the India series that begins in a fortnight. The historic four-day Test, however, is also a platform for the South African star, as well as all the others playing the series, to help needy students in the country get monetary assistance to realise their dreams.
While Aiden Markram and AB de Villiers stamp their authority over the Zimbabwean bowling attack, each boundary they score is filling the Sunfoil Educational Trust, a bursary scheme that provides financial help to children coming out of the country's developmental cricket programmes.
After the end of the 37th over, the SET was sitting pretty at R23 000.
Till date, over 2 million rand has been raised.
During the Sunfoil Test series between England and South Africa that ended early this year, a record amount of R850 000 was raised for Willowton Group’s Sunfoil Education Trust.
It gives upcoming promising township players a unique opportunity of securing a cricketing career with the bursary scheme.
While South Africa ended on the losing side, each batsman from both the teams last year garnered R1 000 for every boundary, R2 000 for every six, as well as R2500 for every wicket taken in the four-match Test series that ended in January this year. The scheme is employed for all home games.
The top-earners for England from the series were Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jonathan Bairstow, while South Africa’s top-earners were Hashim Amla, Kagiso Rabada and Temba Bavuma.
“It’s great that we can contribute to such a worthy cause. We would like to make a difference and add value to any young cricketer’s career".
“It’s a great initiative and I would like to challenge all my teammates to give it their best and fight for the top spot on the Sunfoil Education Trust Leaderboard this season,” De Villiers had said last year.