Stags strengthen the SA connection
Neil Wagner. BJ Watling. Colin Munro. Grant Elliott. Kruger van Wyk.
The list of recent South Africanborn New Zealand test cricketers will only lengthen, and it’s simply a question of who and how soon? There’s a few contenders trying their luck.
Central Districts unveiled the latest aspirant this week, Brad Schmulian, the Cape Town-born 27-year-old whose family moved to Auckland when he was nine. He moved to Hawke’s Bay last year and his first-class debut was worth waiting for.
His knock of 203 against Northern Districts in the drawn match at Tauranga’s Bay Oval was New Zealand’s only double-century on first-class debut, beating the previous best of 175 set by Canterbury’s George Watson in 1880-81.
‘‘He scored 100 in a trial game then at our inter-district Chapple Cup scored 100, and he was part of our provincial A squad last year and had some pretty good performances,’’ Stags chief executive Pete de Wet said.
‘‘He’s somebody we’ve been watching and with George [Worker] and Ross [Taylor] and Tom [Bruce] away and Jesse [Ryder’s] injury there was an opportunity in this game. He put his name up in lights.’’
De Wet said Schmulian initiated the move south, and insisted the Stags had a policy of not approaching outside players ‘‘unless there is a glaring hole in our succession plan’’. They welcomed him in. ‘‘He arrived and put in the hard work and his results meant he’s popped up on our radar.’’
The South African influence is strong at the Stags with de Wet, formerly the boss at the Dolphins franchise, and coach Heinrich Malan. Two former South Africa under-19 players from Wagner’s home town Pretoria - allrounder Evan Jones and batsman Willem Ludick - played for Nelson in the Chapple Cup and are trying their luck too. ‘‘They’re both very handy players,’’ said de Wet.
New arrivals need to be a resident for four years in New Zealand before they become eligible for Black Caps selection, as Zimbabwean Colin de Grandhomme, Wagner, Elliott and van Wyk did after getting starts in their homeland. The first step is to sign a qualification document, which Jones and Ludick did last summer which means they become ‘qualifying players’ in January and can be contracted.
South Africa’s racial quota system of six black or coloured players per first-class playing XI means plenty of handy cricketers now seek opportunities offshore. Canterbury batsman Chad Bowes and Wellington batsman Malcolm Nofal - who both played first-class cricket in South Africa before emigrating - signed their documents and were contracted this season.
‘‘For young South African players who want to look at branching out, New Zealand is obviously a great destination. There’s a lot of them around and I don’t see that trend stopping anytime soon,’’ de Wet said.
He knows another one well, too. Devon Conway averaged 42 from 86 first-class matches in South Africa and the 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman is now playing for University in Wellington with a view to qualifying for New Zealand.
Conway played for the Dolphins when de Wet was chief executive. He’s already made an impression in Wellington and can be picked for the Firebirds any time as an overseas player if he shoots the lights out in club cricket.
‘‘Conway is an interesting one; he’s a really talented player and he’s got a lot to offer and if he can get a go in the Wellington structure I definitely think he’d be somebody of interest [to the Black Caps],’’ said de Wet.