A hidden gem unearthed at the Mzansi Super League
Anrich Nortje’s pace and patience set him up for a stellar career
● Uitenhage’s Die Hoerskool Brandwag isn’t the biggest producer of schoolboy provincial cricketers in the Eastern Province region.
That’s the preserve of Port Elizabeth’s Grey High School and the Makhanda colleges that are St Andrew’s, Kingswood and Graeme. They have produced a number of provincial and international players.
It’s against this background that the 25year-old Anrich Nortje has mapped a path in the first-class scene for Eastern Province and the Warriors since the 2013/14 season.
Being a South African schools player from outside established cricketing schools when he made that grade six years ago meant he was going to be taken seriously.
Oddly, Nortje said it wasn’t that hard for him to get into the EP junior representative sides even though he’s always been a hard worker. “My coach at school Andre du Plessis really helped me and he had a lot of input so it hasn’t always been hard. I did make the EP under-18 side when I was 16 in 2010 and from there I really started to take games seriously and it made more sense to do so. I was also bowling a lot quicker than some of the other kids so that also helped,” he said.
“I’ve always been playing cricket, since I was a youngster with my brother in the back yard and I’ve only ever been about cricket.”
Nortje’s rise through the Eastern Province ranks hasn’t been different to that of colleagues like Andrew Birch, Sisanda Magala and Lutho Sipamla, who all play in the Mzansi Super League. However, Nortje has yet to play franchise T20 cricket.
This lack of experience wasn’t evident in
I’m happy ... I would’ve loved to have taken more wickets, but I’m happy
Anrich Nortje
Bowler
last week’s tournament opening fixture for the Cape Town Blitz against the Tshwane Spartans in Cape Town where he consistently beat AB de Villiers and Rilee Rossouw for pace with his 145km/h-plus thunderbolts.
He ramped it up with intelligent changes of pace and length against the Durban Heat for two days with a 4/32 haul. The Blitz won both those games but missed Wednesday’s win against the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants due to Dale Steyn’s return.
Nortje, who has a B.Com degree and a postgraduate diploma in financial planning from the Nelson Mandela University, is happy to learn his T20 way under the significant MSL glare. “I’ve been competing with some very good guys at the Warriors and I know I haven’t played Franchise T20 cricket. I’ve just played for the Eastern Province amateur side so it’s really nice to get some experience where I can express myself and show what I can do in this format because players can be categorised into a certain format very quickly, maybe not realising that it’s the only opportunity you have in a different format.
“It’s nice to be in a different format where you’re not only participating and playing, but you’re learning as well. I’m trying to take in as much experience as possible in a short amount of time. I don’t want to be categorised as a four or five-day specialist. I want to play in all formats and I back myself, regardless of who I bowl against, because every ball is an event.”
Nortje is aware of the fast-bowling queue in SA, even though it may have been eased slightly by Lungi Ngidi’s unfortunate knee injury sustained in Australia that’s ruled him out for 12 weeks.
In his 18 Franchise Four-Day games in the past three seasons, he’s collected 68 wickets and he’s currently second on the wicket-taker’s standings this season with 24 scalps at 21.04.
His 12 Momentum 1-Day Cup wickets at 28 also played a huge role in his team’s charge to the final they ended up sharing with the Dolphins.
Nortje knows he has to wait his turn but the first-class slog has instilled in him the crucial virtue of patience.
“It’s small changes that have worked, not only for me, but for the guys I play with. We’ve been working hard together at the Warriors with Mfuneko Ngam but the small changes have paid off. I’m really happy with where I am at this stage and I would’ve loved to have taken more wickets but I’m happy,” Nortje said.
“I set a goal of five wickets a game and while I’m not too bothered with stats, there’s a goal I’ve set. You have to go out there and express yourself because you never know what may happen in the next game.”