PATRICK KRUGER IS BETWAY SA20’S ROUGH DIAMOND

Betway SA20 Commissioner Graeme Smith stated from the outset that South Africa’s premier T20 competition would do its best to unearth the “raw diamonds” hidden around the country. 

The next step would be to polish them and then provide a global stage for them to shine. 

Little did Smith know that they would literally go digging in the mines of Kimberley to track down Patrick Kruger. 

The 29-year-old was no newbie to professional cricket, having made his first-class debut a decade ago already for his hometown union Griqualand West, and had seen all sides of the coin having been of the Knights side that were relegated from Cricket SA’s Division 1 two years ago.

It prompted a move to Gqeberha where Kruger found a new home with the Warriors. It was also here he would cross paths with former Warriors assistant coach Baakier Abrahams, who doubled up in the same role for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape. 

And it is right here that Kruger’s career trajectory took on an entirely different path. 

Although Kruger had been called up as a replacement player for the injured Marco Marais at the Pretoria Capitals during Betway SA20 Season 1, he never made it out on the park at Centurion and was released ahead of Season 2. 

There was further disappointment when despite a reputation as being a hard-hitter at the death particularly in the shortest format, Kruger was overlooked at the Season 2 auction. 

At that juncture Kruger consigned himself to the fact that he would not be part of South African cricket’s biggest summer jamboree and instead offered his services to the Sunrisers as a mere net bowler. 

Little did he know that Proteas all-rounder Sisanda Magala and England international Craig Overton had both been ruled out through injury on the eve of the competition leaving the defending champions with a double void to fill. 

“I am obviously based in ‘GQ’, so just before SA20, I sent Bakes (Abrahams) a message saying if you do need net bowlers I am available,” Kruger exclusively told Betway SA20.

“And he responded by saying ‘forget the bowling, I want to get you in here’. 

“I had a good season with the Warriors leading up to that, so at least he had a bit of leverage to go to (Head coach) Adi (Birrell) and the owners with. That helped a bit, but Bakes was definitely the source.”

Kruger was signed up as a replacement player and was now part of the official Sunrisers squad for Season 3. 

But as former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said: "The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes." 

And this is where Kruger and Abrahams got down to doing the hard work behind the scenes to ensure he was ready for his moment to shine. 

“When I went into the nets, Bakes would ask me difficult questions like ‘What do I want to get out of the session?’ He always said that I’m not coming here to just hit balls,” Kruger said. 

“We need a purpose and goals in terms of what we want out of the session. And technique wise he also helped me a bit, not a lot, just a few tweaks with my foot movement, in terms of delaying my foot movement, delaying my head position. He knows the game, and I really enjoyed working with him.” 

Kruger would go on to play in 10 of the Sunrisers’ run to their second consecutive Betway SA20 championship title, but it was in the final league match of the season against the Paarl Royals at St George’s Park where he made the biggest impact. 

With the Sunrisers requiring a victory to pip Durban’s Super Giants to top spot on the table, it was a pressure-filled situation with the home team requiring 41 from the remaining 25 balls. 

Kruger showed that he was indeed the man for the big occasion as he belted three sixes and a boundary to finish unbeaten on 25 from just seven deliveries to edge the Sunrisers over the line. 

It was a pivotal moment for Kruger, who had now catapulted himself onto the national team’s radar with Proteas coach Rob Walter calling up the Sunrisers Eastern Cape all-rounder for a T20I debut against the West Indies prior to the T20I World Cup in the USA and Caribbean earlier this year. 

It was no once-off either with Kruger back in the green-and-gold for the subsequent series against the Windies, where he showed that he belonged at the elite level of the international game with a 32-ball 44 (4x4, 2x6) as part of a repair job with his Sunrisers teammate Tristan Stubbs. 

Having traded mini-buses that are associated with domestic cricket for business class air travel, Kruger is now in the exotic desert terrain of Abu Dhabi with the Proteas gearing up for another three-match T20I series against Ireland.

He is under no illusions that the opportunities that have come his way in recent times is due to his participation in Betway SA20, which has also helped him adapt quickly to the demands of international cricket. 

“The SA20 played a big role. It sets you up for the standard that’s needed, prepares you for how quickly the game moves and the intensity of international cricket,” he said. 

“If I’d come into [the Proteas] having not played SA20 it would have been tougher.”

With a high-profile four-match series against T20 world champions India to look forward to on home soil upon return from the Emirates and Betway SA20 Season 3 early next year, Kruger has plenty to look forward to in the coming months.

Without wanting to look too far ahead, he certainly is gearing up for another big season. 

“I told my wife the other day that this is the biggest year for me. It’s about showing that it wasn’t just a fluke or luck,” he said.

“But I feel I am more mature. I know my game and my role, better than before. It’s basically trusting myself and backing my preparations. I have started believing that I am good enough to be here. But I want to get better and improve all the time. I don’t just want to settle.”