Solo Nqweni

start thinking of his future, I arranged for him to meet our [colleagues], and they took to him,” says Gerard.

Nqweni’s qualifications and work ethic also impressed them.

Nqweni began working at Investec and joined its property development company in 2021 in Joburg as an administrator in asset management.

A cricket talent at Grey High, Nqweni was chosen by the Warriors after school and represented South Africa at the 2012 Under-19 World Cup. He got a contract to play for a club in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was there that GBS struck.

At the age of 26 he spent four weeks in an induced coma, and then five months at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary before he was well enough to fly home. He had also contracted tuberculosis and suffered liver and kidney failure, and realised his cricketing career was over.

Until March 2021, he was unable to feed himself and had to rely on family or a caregiver.

As he focused on getting better, he drew inspiration from his infant son, Amandla, now almost four.

“He is certainly an interesting character with a lot of energy,” says Nqweni. “I learn something new about him all the time. He is one of the reasons I was able to pull through.

“I am excited to play a big role in his life. The time I can have with him now means the world to me, especially as my biological father was never in my life.”

Nqweni also needed to deal with depression. Once he began to get better he was “able to push more, physically and mentally”. His energy began to return.

Today he is focused on his business career, but the lure of cricket is not far away.

“I will definitely play cricket again,” he says, even if it’s not at his previous level. He believes he can also help at board level. Or send down a few overs to Amandla the batsman.