Another all-rounder emerges
More Confetti from this weekend's domestic action
Beyers Swanepoel:
Every now and then, there comes along a player who goes nuclear on the domestic scene. Beyers Swanepoel has landed in Division 1 cricket with a splash. His bowling is giving batters problems. He has served notice on bowlers by taking 21 wickets in four first-class matches to go with his eight wickets for 123 in four List A matches. Swanepoel ended the 2022/23 season as the leading wicket-taker in four-day cricket.
Granted, batters will work him out and find ways to hit him out of the park. He might even experience second-season syndrome. It’s all part of the game. He will adapt and improve. That is what he has been doing since 2017. He has bounced around the system a bit, played for Northerns, then Free State Knights and Northern Cape Heat, before landing at the Warriors. And he is only 25.
“One of the things he has improved in the last little while is pace and I think that has made all the difference. He used to be in the mid-120s. He is now bowling in the mid-130s,” says Mark Charlton, his former coach at Heat.
When you couple the improved pace and his unerring accuracy, you get a potent package. His ability to swing the ball both ways is a skill that will take him places. “He doesn't give much away and moves the ball off the deck. If there's anything in the air he always exploits it,” says Charlton.
Over the weekend, Swanepoel showed his range with a 10-wicket haul in a four-day match against the Multiply Titans:
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In addition to his bowling, Swanepoel is a handy lower-order batter. An ideal number eight. He is averaging a shade under 40, 39.2, in four-day cricket, and has two half-centuries to his name. “With the bat he is explosive. He strikes the ball really well and can really hurt you,” says Charlton.
A good example of the hurt he can bring was his 36-ball 65 runs against the Titans. It was this power-hitting that Sunrisers Eastern Cape saw. They signed him for the SA20 2024 season.
Highlights:
Migael Pretorius:
Every now and then social media gives you gems, like this comment from this person who asked if Migael Pretorius was Dwaine Pretorius’ son. The first thought I had to this was, ‘Wait till he hears of Lhuan-dre Pretorius.’
And now, thanks to Au31, I felt the need to do a video of his five-fer which he took this weekend. Migael did have a good weekend, despite his side’s loss to Western Province by a lot of runs. In fact, he seemed to be the only one keen on winning. He took a five-wicket haul and scored a classy half-century. (I didn’t have the time to do a clip of his 50).
Khaya Majola stuff:
A Steve Stolk special from Khaya Majola Week.
Shout out to Pitch Vision for their YouTube broadcasts.
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Thanks for reading. Until next time… - CS