PHANGISO: ME AND FAF GO A LONG WAY BACK

There is a picture doing the rounds on social media of Australian superstars David Warner and Usman Khawaja walking out in the cricket kit whilst still in their early teens. 

It's an iconic image showcasing the pair’s relationship dating back all those years. 

There could easily be a similar photo of Faf du Plessis and Aaron Phangiso laying around somewhere with the Joburg Super Kings captain and left-arm spin bowler having walked a long road together. 

The pair were first introduced to each other when they joined up at the National U13 Week before both being part of the 2003 SA U19 team, which also included fellow future Proteas AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Vernon Philander and Imraan Khan.

The Titans Academy followed at Centurion which preceded the ascension to first-class cricket with the Titans. This was all part of the journey that eventually led to the ultimate honour of representing the Proteas national team together. 

So, when the Super Kings needed a wildcard to bolster their squad for the maiden Betway SA20 season, Du Plessis knew exactly who to call and rang up his old mate Phangiso, who admittedly was feeling despondent after not being picked up in the initial auction. 

“Watching the auction for close on eight hours, and then your name isn’t called, that was very tough,” Phangiso said. 

“I thought maybe I had missed the boat. But then we had our domestic T20 competition and I knew I needed to do well to get people watching. I knew each team had one spot (after the auction) for an extra player to come in.

“I was chilling at home when I got that call from Faf about whether I would like to join JSK. 

“Me and him, we go a long way back. We’ve played together since the age of 13 all the way to the Proteas. That call was a very good call to receive. I was very happy to be part of this amazing tournament.”

Phangiso fully vindicated the late call-up by producing sparkling performances for the Super Kings. He claimed 10 wickets - the second highest by a Super Kings bowler - at an average of 14.10 and economy of 7.77.

“To come in as a wildcard, and to produce the sort of performances I did for the team, that was something else for me. I enjoy playing T20 cricket the most,” he said.

Unfortunately, Phangiso played only six matches after being reported for a suspect bowling action during the Super Kings' game against Pretoria Capitals. 

He was deemed to have a non-compliant action after undergoing a number of laboratory tests and subsequently suspended from bowling in the league.

But after undergoing bowling action remodelling and remedial work under the guidance of former Cricket SA head of High Performance Vincent Barnes, Phangiso was cleared for him to return to bowling.

It, however, came too late for him to help the Super Kings from suffering a semi-final defeat to the eventual champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, at Centurion.

But with a rematch scheduled for St George’s Park in Gqeberha to kickstart Betway SA20 Season 2 on January 10, Phangiso is eager to set the record straight. 

“Last year we didn’t make the finals. We bombed out in the semis,” he said. 

“But this year we are going all the way. We have a good squad. We have exciting overseas players coming in. And I think having spoken to a couple of guys, the brand of cricket we’re going to play is exciting. Come and blow your whistles Joburg!”