Hendricks gets his foot into the Lions door
IT is the virtue that has sustained him most in the middle, so it stands to reason patience has helped Dominic Hendricks in his time in the shadows.
Now 25 years old, the former under-19 World Cup starlet who was player of the tournament in 2010, is coming of age.
He’s had to wait his turn to get a proper crack in a grizzled Highveld Lions batting lineup.
“I had to earn my keep. There were a few other players who were also in the mix. Alviro [Petersen] and Maccie [Neil McKenzie] were always around so it was hard with the side we had to establish myself.
“When the opportunity came last season when I played nine out of the 10 Sunfoil games, I got my foot in the door. This year, I did even better.”
Sunfoil Series scores of 160 and 167 against the Cape Cobras and the Dolphins respectively in recent matches helped give substance to potential he only partially fulfilled last season.
“I made a couple of mistakes last season. I learnt from that. Last year I got a lot of 50s. I made a conscientious effort not to get out after milestones. I found that when in the past I got lazy I was now able to energise myself.
“One of the things that helped at the start of the season when I wasn’t getting into the Ram Slam or Momentum Cup was playing for the Strikers and scoring big hundreds. That was a massive factor, as was playing in England.”
Hendricks has scored a lot of runs with seemingly no one watching. In fact, he’s on the cusp of 5 000 of the first-class variety.
He calls himself “more of a grinder. I’m not scared to take my time and let the bowler get frustrated. In saying that I don’t want to get classed as one type of player. People had a particular perception of me throughout my career”.
He admits to a lingering admiration for Justin Langer, the former Aussie opener whose run-gathering methods are also seemingly unobtrusive. “He’s of similar stature to me and also a lefthander. I was fond of the way he played. I learnt a lot from reading his books.”
Having waited his turn, Hendricks now wants to make the No 3 spot at the Lions his own. He has tried his hand at wicketkeeping when Thami Tsolekile was unavailable last season but it took a physical toll. He now wants to try his hand at bowling offies again.
Hendricks has just started a short course in small business management and entrepreneurship with Unisa.
Studying is not the only activity he’s had to do from a distance. The pong of matchfixing has been hanging around the Lions dressing room, not that Hendricks was around when Gulam Bodi attempted to spin his nefarious web.
As ever, Hendricks plays some of his best shots when not actually offering one. “We don’t want to speculate. The investigation is under way.”
Last year I got a lot of 50s. I made an effort not to get out after those milestones