South Africa will join teams from 15 other countries to compete in the second World Baseball Classic this month. Players competing in the different teams include 52 Major League Baseball All-Stars and the coach of the South African team, seven-time All-Star Lee Smith, is the pitcher with the third most saves in baseball history.
The World Baseball Classic is the premier international baseball tournament, sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, and features the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories. 

The South Africans, who nearly caused an upset in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006 when they gave the hot-shot Canadians a scare, have already left South Africa in preparation for their first game in Mexico City. The competition will be intense in this first game as they face serial Olympic champions, Cuba, who conceded victory to Japan in the final of the 2006 World Baseball Classic. South African viewers will be able to watch the match live on ESPN on Sunday 8 March at 8pm.

South Africa will play at least three games in Mexico City and in their second game (game 3 or 4) will face either Australia or Mexico (another team with strong credentials), depending on the outcome of games 1 and 2. ESPN will air all matches live right through to the finals at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on 24 March.

The young South African team, with several members still in their teens, includes a number of players who have been signed up by MLB teams in the US. 

The squad is: Alessio Angelucci, Barry Armitage, Matthew Dancer, Shannon Ekermans, Jared Elario, Justin Erasmus, Donovan Hendricks, Gavin Jeffries, Dylan Lindsay, Jacobus Mostert, Hein Robb, Darryn Smith, Robert Verschuren, Kyle Botha, Karl Weitz, Terence White Terence, Justin Lazarus, Gift Ngoepe, Anthony Phillips, Jonathan Phillips, Allan Randall, Brett Willemburg, Martin GordonZ, Zaid-Moegamat Hendricks, Richard Holgate, Gavin Ray, Paul Rutgers, Ashley Scott, Rick Magnate, Lee Smith, Brian McArn, Mike Randall, Neil Adonis. Coach: Alan Phillips.