There is great excitement ahead of the Castle Test series between South Africa and England which gets underway at Centurion on Wednesday with the first Test marking Makhaya Ntini’s 100th appearance for the Proteas Castle Test team.

To celebrate this much anticipated Test series, Castle Lager and Cricket South Africa have commissioned the proudly South African and iconic company, Jenna Clifford, to produce a uniquely conceptualised Jenna Clifford Crystalique trophy.

Ten trophies were created for the Castle Test Series – One “Castle Test Series” Trophy, one “Man of the Series” trophy, four “Union Match” trophies and four “Man of the Match” trophies. The winning trophy (“The Castle Test Series” Trophy) took a total of 90 hours just to carve the main feature by hand (a cricketer) on the trophy using a chisel and hammer. The trophy weighs in excess of 12kg’s and is 520mm in height, 410mm in width.

Jenna Clifford spokeswoman, Shayna Clifford, said: “All trophies were hand crafted by Jenna Clifford master craftsmen and completed with the essence of excellence and positive energy has been infused into their unique crystalique cores. Always apparent in Jenna Clifford a custom-designed creation is the flexibility and flair which brings originality to the rare Jenna Clifford signature designs.  Artistic freedom combined with technical expertise deliver pieces which inspire and delight.

“The greatest aptitude and precision of our designers and creators, and the highest level of performance, are constantly maintained and monitored to achieve utmost perfection in every Jenna Clifford masterpiece.”

The two teams also compete for the Basil d’Oliveira Trophy which was first won by England during the 2004/05 series in South Africa and subsequently won by the Proteas when they toured England last year.

Basil d’Oliveira was a South African-born all-rounder who represented England in 44 Test matches between 1966 and 1972 scoring 2 484 runs at an average of 40.06 with five centuries and taking 47 wicket at an average of 39.55. He was chosen for the tour of South Africa in 1968-69 which was subsequently cancelled when the government of the day refused to accept his inclusion in the touring team.

He was banned from representing the country of his birth through the apartheid policies of the time and would unquestionably have represented South Africa throughout the 1950s as well as the 1960s had he been allowed to do so.

He nevertheless captained the South African Cricket Board of Control (SACBOC) side that played five international matches against the Kenyan Asians and East Africa between 1956 and 1959.