Gqamane an invaluable string in Warriors’ bow

campaign,” said Smuts after training yesterday.

“He’s been our leading seamer by a long way. He’s struck, he’s contained, he’s pretty done everything we’ve asked for. He just works so hard at his game.”

Gqamane, 27, burst onto the firstclass stage in December 2012, returning match figures of 11 for 70 on his Sunfoil Series debut against the Lions.

He took 4/46 and 7/24 as the Lions were dismissed for 59 in their second innings and the Warriors won by 10 wickets. But injuries interrupted after a promising start to his career.

“. . . it’s not always easy to come back,” said Smuts.

“It’s a tribute to his work ethic the way he’s turned his game around. He’s got a lot of options.

“He’s not just a normal length ball and a bumper anymore. He’s got a good yorker, he’s got a few slower balls.”

Smuts now has the confidence to toss Gqamane the ball in pressure situations.

“It makes my life very easy. I can just throw him the ball whenever I want to and he always seems to do it at the moment,” he said.

“He’s really given us another string in our bow especially in the middle overs.

“In the past, we’ve always had a lot of spin in the middle and I think some of the guys have gotten used to that. But now we have Aya bowling extremely well and getting wickets in the middle and it’s taking pressure of our spinners.”

Gqamane, who will next be in action in the Momentum One-Day Cup against the Knights at St George’s Park tomorrow (2pm), said he had “worked really hard during the off-season and just before the campaign started”.

These days, limited-overs pitches tend to favour the batsmen, leaving little room for seamers to err.

“If you are bowling to your plans and you are getting hit off your plans there’s not much you can do as a bowler, especially with the pitches being so slow this season. But you gotta be strong enough to come back.”

Gqamane is from Mdingi in the Border region, the same village that produced Makhaya Ntini.

● Pupils and students (with student cards) can get free tickets to tomorrow’s match at St George’s Park ticket office between 8.30am and 4pm today, and at the game.