Keshav has fitted in ‘so seamlessly’
DURBAN: Keshav Maharaj went to his first ever Cricket South Africa awards banquet, dressed in his Proteas blazer, and walked away with an award that you only get one shot at.
The International Newcomer of the Year award is purely based on someone making an immediate impression, which is exactly what Maharaj did this past season.
“I suppose you can only get one shot at a newcomer award! I am just humbled to have won such a special award, especially given the calibre of players I was up against,” Maharaj beamed.
On a night when the SA cricket fraternity saluted those who stood out over the course of the season, Test skipper Faf du Plessis doffed his cap at the strides made as a unit, deep into Saturday night.
“Tonight was about celebrating the season’s success, and Quinny (Quinton de Kock) obviously had a great and well-deserved night,” he noted.
De Kock’s haul of five awards, including the coveted Cricketer of The Year, follows in the footsteps of Kagiso Rabada’s big grab last season, and was further evidence of the next batch of leaders in the Proteas coming through.
“It is very pleasing to see just how many of the guys are stepping up, and we have really looked to encourage them as leaders,” Du Plessis explained.
De Kock and Rabada – still very young men in the modern game – are already world beaters, and the manner in which they have slipped into the fast lane comes down to the environment that has been created within the Proteas.
That same environment has also allowed others to come through and be immediately comfortable.
Maharaj, one of 11 players to make their international bow last season, walked away with the Newcomer of the Year award, crowning an incredible rise from obscurity to familiarity for the KZN left-arm spinner.
“Keshav has come in and fitted in so seamlessly.
“He has given us great control, and he has fantastic temperament, and he deserves the recognition, too,” Du Plessis enthused.
Maharaj’s spin has already done enough to convince the national selectors that he can do the job in one-day cricket, too, and he finds himself in the Champions Trophy squad of 15. From the outside, the pick might have been a surprise, but Du Plessis said he didn’t even blink. “It makes a lot of sense. “Keshav has shown he can do the job in international cricket, so there is no reason to think he can’t do it in another format,” he said.