HERMANN: "I'M A BIT OF AN AB FAN BOY"

Jordan Hermann belongs to the 'Gen Zee' age of cricketers. 

For those not familiar with the term, the common definition is that they are the first fully 'digitally native' generation. Brought up on social media and smartphones. 

Their library is Google Search. YouTube is their VCR player, Spotify the CD walkman and Instagram the Kodak moment. 

It is therefore not surprising that Hermann, who admits “I am very much a cricket lover and a watcher” lays up at night and watches YouTube clips of the great AB de Villiers thrilling audiences in his heyday. 

So, when De Villiers sends out a message on X - formerly Twitter - praising the young Sunrisers Eastern Cape left-hander after his maiden T20 century at Newlands on Monday evening, it's little wonder the 22-year-old goes all star crazy. 

“It’s quite unbelievable. I watch videos of him at night and think about how I can ever come close to doing something like that,” Hermann said.

“It’s quite special that someone as big as him can say something about myself that I don’t even believe yet. It is a very special feeling and so surreal. I can’t really fathom it. I am a bit of a Fan Boy!”

It’s not just De Villiers that has Hermann pinching himself that he is showcasing his immense talent on a global platform such as Betway SA20. 

The rising star often has to remind himself that he is now very much part of 'The Big Show'. 

“I think Season 1 was quite surreal. I still wonder how I got there. I look in the changeroom and you stand in the field, and you see guys like Kieron Pollard and Sam Curran, all international players that you watch on TV, and suddenly you have to catch a ball they have hit up in the sky,” he said. 

“I am still wondering how it's possible to be at this stage. It’s difficult to convince myself that I can have the same career path.”

At Newlands on Monday evening, it was all eyes on Hermann though. The stylish left-hander fronted up to a MI Cape Town attack that included seasoned internationals such Proteas duo Kagiso Rabada and Beuran Hendricks along with England internationals Sam Curran and Olly Stone to piece together a splendid 106 not off 62 balls (8x4, 6x6) that lifted the Sunrisers to a thrilling four-run victory - a Season 2 first for the defending champions. 

“It’s been a hectic few months. I am just grateful that something like this has happened. It makes the success a little bit sweeter,” he said. 

“It is pretty special. Just glad we ended up on the winning side otherwise it would be pretty pointless. Getting us to the win was the most important thing.”

The value of Betway SA20’s ability to attract major overseas internationals to the competition cannot also be understated in the development of young South African talent. 

England’s former World No 1 T20 batter Dawid Malan debuted for the Sunrisers at Newlands and made an immediate impression with a 37-ball 53. 

But Malan’s greater impact was the 138-run opening partnership he shared with Hermann, and in the process guiding the young batter through different periods of his innings, particularly on such a grand stage before a partisan home Newlands crowd.

“There’s a reason why he was the No 1 T20 batter in the world. He just kept me so calm and made sure I knew where I wanted to hit,” Hermann said. 

“He kept me in the moment. It is quite tough, you can almost get lost in terms of the crowd and how big the occasion is. 

I think the previous game I got a bit lost in the occasion and didn’t think as clearly as I could. The pressure got me and I tried to learn from that. 

“It was awesome to play with someone who could take all the pressure off you and keep you calm at the same time.  He was going much better than me at this stage and kept me composed.”