BETWAY SA20 WAS LIKE PLAYING AN INTERNATIONAL GAME EVERY WEEK - GQAMANE

Aya Gqamane has experienced both the highs and lows of the wonderful game of cricket during his 13-year long professional career. 

Hailing from King William's Town in the Eastern Cape, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape all-rounder was a prodigy from a very young age. 

But walking into a Warriors dressing room at St George’s Park that boasted legendary names in South African cricket such as Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Ashwell Prince and Wayne Parnell was quite an intimidating experience for the raw teenager back in 2010.

Gqamane did not initially live up to his potential, and played mainly for his hometown province Border in the semi-pro division, until his professional contract with the Warriors was terminated in 2017/18.

But instead of dwelling on his misfortune, Gqamane worked even harder on improving his skills and worked his way back into the Warriors team. He was particularly good with the ball during the CSA T20 Challenge back in 2020-21, which due to Covid-19 restrictions was played in its entirety at St George’s Park. 

And this is where Gqamane’s life began to change for the better with a high-profile move to the Titans in Centurion providing the now veteran all-rounder with a stable income. 

But this was only the beginning for Gqamane. His long association with Sunrisers Eastern Cape coach Adi Birrell paid dividends when with the advent of Betway SA20 Gqamane was picked up at the inaugural auction. 

It was an emotional moment for Gqamane for it was almost as if his career had gone full circle with him going home to St George’s Park. 

“It was very exciting. Going back home at a packed St George’s Park was something different for me, especially as a franchise cricketer. The band is obviously the main attraction. It was amazing having family and friends watching us performing at that level we did,” the 34-year-old said. 

“It was like playing an international game every week. The standard of cricket was really high. It was a good showcase for South African talent.” 

Being a much more mature cricketer now than when he started his career, Gqamane was not overawed with sharing a dressing room with international cricketers and encountering them out on the pitch. Instead, he was now relishing the experience. 

“We have seen leagues around the world where a lot of international players are involved. It was nice for us as well. Luckily for us, we had a lot of local quality players that knew the conditions. It was nice to play against some of the big names from the other franchises,” he said.

“It's been a long time coming. It's absolutely amazing to have this platform for South African cricket, especially for the youth. There are a lot of youngsters in South Africa that love this format, and there is obviously a lot of attention around this format. It's a good thing for South African cricket going forward.”

However, the cherry on the cake was still to come with Gqamane being part of the Sunrisers’ squad that lifted the maiden Betway SA20 Season 1 championship trophy at a sold out Wanderers. 

“The journey with the Sunrisers was incredible from beginning to end. We started slowly, but as the tournament went on we picked up momentum. The packed crowd for the final in Johannesburg was unbelievable,” he said. 

Gqamane and the Sunrisers Eastern Cape will be hoping that Betway Season 2 creates even more wonderful memories when they kick-start their new campaign in the tournament opener against the Joburg Super Kings at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on 10 January.