Back and Across
Donovan Ferreira is moving forward by stepping back and across
A bee hummingbird could have flown into Akeal Hosein’s open mouth, built a nest, and laid its first egg. That’s how long Hosein had his mouth open. The West Indies bowler couldn’t believe his eyes.
He wasn’t the only one; Faf du Plessis was laughing with a mixture of disbelief and excitement, as was Nandre Burger. A few other Texas Super Kings players had vacated their seats in the dugout and were tracking the ball with their eyes as it flew out of the Lauderhill Cricket Stadium — the six measured ‘a mere’ 106 metres.
Mitchell Owen had planned to send down a cutter on a good length, targeting the top of off-stump. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the length right and overpitched it. Ferreira stepped back and across and whipped it to the leg-side. This was Ferreira at his best; he was only four deliveries old, but was seeing the cricket as if it were a beach ball.
“I really enjoyed that one. It was a must-win match, and there were a lot of moving parts. First, I was supposed to come in at three, then at four, and then Daryl (Mitchell) was retired out, and I had to go in immediately,” Ferreira shared.
The monstrous six took him to 15 runs in four balls. Ferreira bookended the next five deliveries with two sixes that cluttered onto the sightscreen. He landed the ball into the stands at cow corner and ran two twos in between the maximums as he rocketed to an unbeaten 37 runs from nine deliveries to secure victory over Washington Freedom
Lance Klusener scored 281 runs in eight outings at a strike rate of 147.8 at the 1999 ODI World Cup. He was unbeaten in six innings and registered two half-centuries. Zulu powered South Africa to victories from unlikely positions, thanks to his ability to muscle the ball out of the park.
He was one of the few batters who helped create the blueprint for finishers. In 1999, Zulu was already dedicating long sessions of his training to developing power-hitting skills. However, it wasn’t until a decade later that MS Dhoni became the archetypal finisher in T20's formative years.
Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell pushed the envelope in defining a finisher as a six-hitter, setting the stage for players like Tim David, Romario Shepherd, and Donovan Ferreira. It is a volatile role, one where half-centuries mean less than a nine-ball 37.
“I don’t think about milestones when I walk out to bat. My job is to make an impact or get the team over the line,” Ferreira shared.
Most teams put Ferreira in sixth position on the team sheet; however, he isn’t always the sixth batter to take to the crease. This year, he has featured everywhere from number four to seven. His job is to come in after the 10th over and maximise the final 30 or 50 balls.
Ferreira’s median entry point at the just-ended Major League Cricket tournament was the 15th over. He had no time to get his eye in, and yet he played with good consistency. He scored 248 runs from 116 deliveries in nine outings for an average of 41.6 at a strike rate of 213.8.
His currency is sixes. Ferreira struck 36 sixes in 27 innings in 2024 for an average of a single maximum every 8.8 deliveries. The 27-year-old unlocked a sixth gear in 2025; he has speared 30 sixes in 17 outings at a rate of a six every 7.5 balls. Nineteen of his sixes came during his time with the Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket.
“I sit down with the analyst before each game and look at my best options against each bowler and the venue. I also sit down with them after the match to check how well I executed the plans and what I could have done better,” said Ferreira, by way of explaining the uptick in his returns.
It has taken Ferreira a while to reach this level of receptiveness when it comes to his game. When he was younger, the 27-year-old reacted defensively when analysts pointed out his weaknesses or where he picked the wrong shot option, which led to his dismissal.
His newfound ability to take feedback without getting emotional about things helped Ferreira identify that bowlers used the line wide of the off-stump to dismiss him.
“Dealing with data has helped my game a lot. Now, whether I do well or not, I review each innings with an analyst, take the positives and identify areas that need improvement,” he stated.
Ferreira worked on his red-ball game before leaving South Africa to join the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred during his two-week stay after the MLC. According to the finisher, red ball cricket is a vital part of his white ball game.
“It is good for your cricket. It tightens your technique. Sometimes you come in at 20/4 and the ball is still swinging. You need good technique to navigate that period before you start power-hitting,” Ferreira said.
The 27-year-old doesn’t just use red-ball training as a means to an end in T20 cricket; he hopes to make the Titans’ 4-day squad in the 2025-26 season. The format is the most challenging, physically and mentally, and Ferreira feels that if he excels in it, he can do well in any format.
However, the biggest change Ferreira made was the introduction of a trigger to his game.
“KP advised me to have a trigger. He said that if you look at all the great batters, they all have a trigger. So, I decided to incorporate one into my batting,” Ferreira explained.
He didn’t sit down to watch hours of footage of legendary cricketers to find the best trigger. Ferreira faced hundreds of balls in the nets, going through stuff he already did at the crease. The 27-year-old settled on going back and across.
“I found that I subconsciously went back and across when I played at my best. It was now a matter of making sure that I did that with every delivery. But I didn’t want to make it robotic, so there are no set guidelines on how far back and across I go,” Ferreira shared.
The finisher found that the trigger helps him to focus better. At his best, Ferreira appears to have more time to play the ball than other batters. However, over the last 12 months, the 27-year-old felt as if bowlers had found a way to rush him into shots. The trigger helps him to unlock his best form more consistently.
Donovan Ferreira scorched his way to the forefront of South African cricket's consciousness. He appeared like a blue flame, literally. One of the earliest memories people have of him is Ferreira donning a blue helmet that didn't match his kit or the hue of the rest of the Titans team.
Four years later, Ferreira has unlocked a new level in his batting, courtesy of the trigger and a few other changes. He had the third-highest strike rate (197) among the top five run-scorers in the last 10 overs at the MLC. He was behind Shimron Hetmyer (218) and Glenn Maxwell (206).
Ferreira will be carrying his torch and its blazing flame to The Hundred, where he hopes to launch more fireworks.