Jennings jnr sets county scene ablaze
. . . and has sights set on playing for England
KEATON Jennings, son of South African cricket stalwart Ray, is plundering runs in England.
The left-handed opening batsman is currently the top run-scorer for Durham in division one of the Specsavers County Championship.
Those who are salivating at the prospect of seeing him bashing the ball for the Proteas will be disappointed to learn that he has already qualified to play for England.
He also happens to be a cricketing blueblood through his father, a former Proteas coach who also coached the under-19 national side to World Cup glory in 2014.
While he attained his British passport through his Sunderland-born mother, the King Edward VII School product is aware of the recent stigma attached to South African-born cricketers in England.
Kevin Pietersen’s “quota” histrionics and his subsequently colourful nine-year journey with the England national team made things interesting for those who would tread the same path.
One would question why a patriot like Ray let his son qualify for the team everyone wants to beat. However, Jennings junior had his father’s blessings.
In the unforgiving slog that is county cricket, those blessings are a necessity, especially with Pietersen having given South Africans a bad name.
The South African Under-19 Cricketer of the Year in 2011 is on a journey he conceived in 2009 through his inability to make the most of his chances and youthful impetuosity.
“My dad has been very supportive but the decision to qualify for England was mine and he never tried to push me in that direction. He made me consider a number of different things from all perspectives.
“It wasn’t a decision that was made overnight, nor was it easy but I believe it was the right call. The quality of the Lions openers at the time [Alviro Petersen and Stephen Cook] also played a role. My career could have taken a different path in their absence,” Jennings said.
“Kevin’s time here has made things a little tougher. There have been the awkward questions at the most awkward times but that can’t detract from his quality as a cricketer. He said certain things to get himself up for the fight and didn’t score the runs he did for nothing. We’re very different personalities in terms of how we’ve gone about things but I’d love to emulate what he’s done with the bat.”
Jennings senior has often rubbed up the establishment the wrong way, but understands his son’s reasons for pursuing a career elsewhere.
However, he feels more needs to be done to plug the player exodus in South African cricket.
“I don’t have a grudge for my son wanting to play international cricket. There are many examples of players who have moved elsewhere in search of the overseas opportunity. Keaton doing the same has nothing to do with me as a person and what I’ve done as a cricketer. It’s about him setting up his life in today’s times. When I played the situation and opportunities were different,” Jennings senior said.
“There are two things that need some work: the talent identification and the size of the first-class structure that has to be big enough to support all the talent in the country.
“Probably that’s why they want to introduce two more franchises because there are a number of players who are good enough to play franchise cricket.”
While Alastair Cook and Alex Hales keep a firm grip on the test opening berths, Jennings contents himself with regular trips home during the English winter to play for Greenside-based Premier League club Pirates. He is also doing a B.Comm accounts degree through the University of South Africa.
He may have waived his rights to play for the country of his birth and his allegiances have shifted, but he has not forgotten about his family core in South Africa. In the silent and dangerous world of cyberbullying, they are his safety net.