Interviews
FEATURE: KESHAV MAHARAJ SPINS INTO THE PROTEAS RECORD BOOKS
Keshav Maharaj has seen it all.
From leading Durban’s Super Giants to their only Betway SA20 final a couple of seasons ago to not being retained for Season 4.
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To crying on the Lord’s balcony after being crowned a World Test champion (and named SA Player of the Year) to being dropped from the Proteas T20I side a few weeks later.
The contrasting range of emotions would break the spirit of a lesser individual.
But Maharaj has experienced greater distress before and bounced back even stronger.
This was the man that pushed his body and mind to the utter limits to complete a remarkable recovery from an Achilles' rupture within six months in order to be ready for the 2023 World Cup.
So, how does the left-arm spinner respond to his latest disappointments?
He delivers his best-ever white-ball performance, claiming a maiden ODI five-wicket haul against the reigning world champion Australia, on a magical night in Queensland.
The five-star performance, which saw Maharaj also become the first South African spinner to pass 300 wickets across formats, enabled the Proteas to condemn the Aussies to their biggest ODI defeat on home soil in 34 years.
Erstwhile Durban's Super Giants captain, Keshav Maharaj has not been retained by the Kingsmead team but reminded all-and-sundry about his quality - in Proteas colours - in the build-up to the Betway SA20 Season 4 Player Auction.
“Yeah, it is special,” Maharaj said after reaching the 300-wicket milestone. “But I think there's a lot more that I want to learn and a lot more for me to sort of achieve in my career.
“Especially with the team and trying to win more trophies together as a nation. So it's a nice feather to have the cap. And hopefully I can keep raising that bar for spinners coming through in our systems.”
Maharaj’s career-best figures of 5/33 saw him join an elite list of South African bowlers, which only includes Richard Snell (Melbourne, 1994), his erstwhile DSG head coach Lance Klusener (Melbourne, 1997) and bowling coach Morne Morkel (Perth, 2014), to have claimed a “Michelle” in ODI’s on Australian soil.
“Yeah, those are legends of the game, you know, in all formats of the game. So, to be among them is a special feeling,” Maharaj said.
“Hopefully, I can get and unlock more doors for myself from that perspective.
“But I think to be acknowledged in the same category of the legends of the game is a super special feeling.
“I'm not someone who sort of bowls for fivers. I'm more a process-driven person, so I judge myself on my consistency and my length.
“But you dream of playing international cricket, you dream of putting in matching performances.
“So, I think as a cricketer, you want to get a fiver in various formats and obviously tick the Test box and it's nice to finally get the one-day fiver under the belt.”
There is certainly set to be a clamour for Maharaj’s skills when the Betway SA20 Season 4 player auction gets underway in Johannesburg on September 9.
