Vallie to nurture young Warriors
Warriors batsman Yaseen Vallie hopes to use his vast knowledge and experience to assist the franchise’s new crop of players.
Vallie, 30, has been with the Eastern Cape franchise for the better part of five years and says he has enjoyed every moment of his time in the province as it has helped him to invigorate his love for the game.
Vallie still has dreams of pulling on the all-whites of the Proteas Test side but admits that hard work and dedication will be the only way he will realise that goal.
He said it was an honour to receive another contract with the Warriors as it showed that his efforts on and off the field were not going unnoticed.
“I think any player would be delighted to receive another contract from a team like the Warriors and my main goal to play red ball cricket for the Proteas is still something I am working towards.
“But for now I am just happy to be able to play the game,” he said.
Having relocated from Cape Town and the Cobras to join the Warriors, Vallie said the opportunity to play more cricket was the driving force behind his move.
“At the time, I was not getting as much playing time as I would have liked.
“I wasn’t upset, because I knew that I was still a young player coming in and with the side being littered with Proteas players, it was difficult for me to nail down a regular place in the side,” the right-handed batsman said.
Vallie, now considered one of the senior members of a youthful Warriors outfit, believes it is an exciting time at the franchise as they look to build on their good performances from last season.
“I’d say we have a very exciting squad for the new season.
“We will have a different type of balance with the new players coming in, but I think we have all the tools necessary to build on what we did last year.
“We have lost some big players with the likes of Sisanda Magala, Lutho Sipamla and Onke Nyaku, in addition to the retirement of Andrew Birch but that now gives our younger players the chance to step up and make their mark.”
Schooled at Cravenby Primary and High Schools in Cape Town, Vallie said cricket was one of two sports that really piqued his interest during the early years, the other being soccer.
Vallie was selected in the SA U19 squad for the 2008 World Cup in Malaysia, where they finished second to India.
He received his first provincial call-up for WP playing only a few games. Due to a lack of opportunities he considered walking away from cricket to take up football.
However, he received another opportunity and after a few low scoring games at the start, Vallie came into his own performing well in the matches that followed.
At the back end of the 2011 season, he received his first call up to the Cobras, scoring 167 in a Sunfoil Series game against the Titans.
He received a full contract with the Western Cape franchise ahead of the 2012/2013 season and said he never looked back after that.
As for the lockdown he said: “This has not had much effect on us, because we are accustomed to being at home.
“I am not a person who enjoys going out very often.”