EMBRACING THE PRESSURE: WHY BOSCH IS MARKRAM'S GO-TO-MAN

Corbin Bosch is part of a rare breed in South African cricket. As one of only four players in the current Proteas T20 squad with a white-ball ICC World Cup medal to his name, he knows exactly what it takes to win on the global stage.

A decade ago, the MI Cape Town all-rounder spearheaded the Junior Proteas to ICC Under-19 World Cup glory in Dubai. Having earned the Player of the Match award in the final against Australia, playing alongside teammates like Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Smith, Bosch looked destined for immediate greatness.

Though his path to the senior squad took the scenic route, the 31-year-old is finally fulfilling his youthful potential. Making his highly anticipated debut at a senior T20 World Cup, Bosch is seizing his moment and proving that some talents are well worth the wait.

He is fifth on the overall competition’s wicket-takers list with 11 wickets in six matches at an average of 14.18 and economy of 6.78. It is the topping on a magnificent last 12 months with Bosch having snared 33 wickets in 21 T20Is, which places him third on the ICC T20I bowlers’ rankings - 15 points above his fourth-ranked MI Cape Town captain, Rashid Khan.

Having travelled the long road with Bosch, Proteas captain Markram has been impressed with his former Junior World Cup-winning teammate’s progression after all the years of hard toil.

 “He’s been a great addition since he's joined the squad,” Markram said ahead of Wednesday’s T20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

“I don't know how long it's been now, maybe 18 months and yeah, he keeps training well and keeps getting better and better.

“He just keeps it really simple, he trains smartly, he trains hard, he doesn't give himself too many options. He just tries to get really good at the things that he backs.

“Obviously, bowls a really good yorker, which everyone has seen. It's nice to be able to have that sort of variety in our attack.”

Bosch has certainly been Markram’s go-to-man during the death overs. While some might shirk the pressure moments, Bosch believes his experience of shouldering responsibility from a young age has helped him thrive when the lights are at their brightest.

“Yeah, I think when I initially came to the Titans in 2014, I think I bowled a lot of death bowling there. I think it stemmed from some Varsity cricket, trying to be the best that I possibly can be and also realise it's a skill that at the end of the day, it does win you games, and it does require pressure moments. And I enjoy executing in those pressure moments,” Bosch said.

 “Cricket is tough. We don't always execute as well, but it's something that I train every single day, trying to upskill myself in any way, shape or form so that I'm not a one-dimensional cricketer.

“There's still plenty of parts of my game that I'm still trying to improve, but at the same time, keep getting better at the skills that I am good at.

“I think it's all a work in progress, but it's definitely one of my bigger focuses when it comes to training. The main skill is to continue with my main skills and then upskill any area that needs to be upskilled.”

Bosch also believes his philosophical approach to bowling at the death helps him attain the desired results.

“It's almost like a goal kicker. The responsibility is thrown to you at an important time. You have to deal, and sometimes it's going to go according to plan, sometimes it's not,” he said.

“Yeah, it's difficult because, as I said, cricket, it ebbs and flows. One week you're bowling the best yorkers of your life, the next week you can't land the thing.

“It takes incredible mental strength to continue to be at it. Some days you get bashed, and some days you bowl good balls that still go for four.”