by Abhai Sawkar It’s been a couple of weeks since the Momentum One Day Cup and the South African domestic season ended, and while the knockout stage couldn’t go as planned due to precautionary measures, there’s plenty to reflect on. A few of the experienced players have called time and moved on, but more importantly, multiple young players have shown discernible promise and hunger for greater honors. Enter Jacques Snyman. The 2019-20 season has been quite eventful right from the get-go - starting from scoring heavily at provincial level to earning a short MSL stint, and culminating with a breakthrough period during the Momentum One-Day Cup. Top that off with playing for a CSA Invitational XI against England. It’s easily been among his most successful seasons, and he’s provided the much-needed top-order momentum (yes, pun intended) for his newly contracted franchise team, the Free State-based VKB Knights. Snyman scored 298 runs in 7 innings, striking at a whopping 152, with a best score of 124. In addition to his robust, destructive batting, he’s a handy offspinner, known to bowl economical spells and take wickets at key intervals. He’s received plenty of support and nurture from the coaches and delivered consistently in the tournament. “2019-20 has been one of my best seasons at franchise level and I’m really grateful for that,” said Snyman. “I’ve been striking the ball cleanly and I hope I can continue doing that.The Knights started off slowly and results didn't go the way we wanted them to but we kept believing. We knew that once we get the first one, we’ll have the momentum going with us. The unit pulled together and we got the momentum we wanted. One of my takeaways is definitely the fact that coach JP Triegaardt and Allan Donald allowed me to play with freedom and play my natural game. That helped me a lot and doing that, I learned more of my individual game.” Prior to joining the Knights, the Jozi Stars snapped up Snyman midway through the Mzansi Super League as an injury replacement. He might’ve played just a single game, but spending time learning from some of the best in the business was priceless. The Stars may have struggled throughout their entire MSL campaign last year but on a more positive note, several players, both experienced and new, made significant progress. Rassie van der Dussen was the star of the show during the 2018 MSL, and went on to dazzle in the international stage as well. Temba Bavuma has been in much better form in the shorter formats following strong outings in the 2019 MSL. Even though the MSL is still quite new, it’s undeniable that it’s a rewarding experience. “Playing for the Jozi Stars in the MSL was a dream come true. Honestly it was an unbelievable learning curve and coach Justin [Sammons] and Neil McKenzie helped me a lot in my game and ever since that tournament my cricket definitely went forward. It was nice sharing the changing room with the likes of Chris Gayle, Dan Christian, Shoaib Malik and all the Proteas stars - I learned plenty from them. We never gave up. Even when we knew we were struggling we kept fighting to get that first win and that was a nice experience. It was nice learning from Reeza, Rassie, and Temba on how to pace your innings and that you always have time to catch up.” Snyman’s exploits for the Knights undoubtedly made him a fix for the upcoming 2020-21 season; he was among the first to be confirmed on the Knights contract list not long ago. Especially for a player who’s just beginning to create a splash at the highest level of domestic cricket, this feels very flattering. It’s moments like these that create more and more opportunities, and Snyman is upbeat and determined to take on whatever’s in store. This time he managed to get his feet wet in the MSL, but a secured contract is the objective for next season. International cricket is the ultimate goal, and with the level of dedication, talent, and burgeoning potential he has, the sky’s the limit. “I am very blessed to have gotten my first franchise contract for next season with the VKB Knights, so that is massive for me already. I’m hoping to get another MSL stint and make a big name for myself and then I’ll push hard for SA A, ultimately hoping to make my debut for the Proteas one day.” While he’s had a gratifying past couple of months, another memorable experience for Snyman would have to be featuring in the 50-over tour games when England visited South Africa, just prior to his first game for the Knights. Considering the fact that England are the recent World Cup champions as well as the top-ranked ODI team in the world, it was both a challenge as well as a learning curve. Yes, practice makes perfect, but frequently playing against stronger opponents does wonders when it comes to development. It was very humbling when two world-class ODI batsmen rated him highly and wished him the best in the franchise setup. In addition, Snyman was impactful in both games, scoring 65 in the first and another 67 in the second. The first game might have been tough, but the win in the second game will be one to savor for a long time to come. As a team, the CSA Invitational XI did well to give England a run for their money. “Words can’t explain the emotions through the game, when we saw all the England international players, the reality kicked in that I’m fortunate enough to play against players like them. I learned a lot from watching their batsmen and then tried to implement a similar approach against their world-class bowling attack. I was lucky enough to score on all the games we played, and that personally was a massive boost for me. It was nice afterwards to speak to Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow and they said they liked my gameplay and that they can’t believe at that time that I didn't play any franchise cricket or be involved in SA setup so that automatically pushed me harder.” Snyman’s on-field approach is as straightforward as it gets - stick to the natural game, but at the same time, assess the situation at hand and plan accordingly. Since the early days, it’s always been about giving it his all and never to relent, regardless of the level of pressure. “The coaches at Northern Cape and and Knights told me that it’s my job to get the team off to a quick start and I must try and take full advantage from the powerplay so in my head it's nice and simple - if it's in my area, back myself but don't get carried away. But then again, at the same time if I get in, I shouldn’t get out. And I also tell myself that when I commit, commit 100%.” Originally from Gauteng, Snyman particularly enjoys his time in the Free State. He has a track record of playing at various venues across the country, and has done well to adjust to his adopted home grounds. To no surprise, the size of grounds aren’t perturbing, as he’s able to clear boundaries at will. So far it’s been an encouraging beginning, and the next step for Snyman is to ensure that he’s a regular across formats. “My favorite field is either Kimberley and Bloemfontein. I will go with Kimberley as it's a smaller field and had a lot of success on the field but with that being said, Bloemfontein is value for shots even though the field is massive. But honestly it doesn't matter on which fields I play at, as long as I can be in the starting XI and live out my talent God gave me, then I'm a happy man.” Snyman has lived and breathed cricket since his early school days. Having played for all the age levels at Northerns, it was evident that he was a very gifted youngster. This earned him a much-coveted sports scholarship to the famed Afrikaans high school, Die Hoërskool Menlopark. The most recent Proteas cricketer who attended Menlopark is the ever-so-consistent Rassie van der Dussen, who’s created a more than favorable first impression across all international formats. Another fellow Protea, wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen, is also a Menlopark alum. At club level, Snyman played much of his cricket in Pretoria. He was part of the youth Titans franchise side as well as the nearby club with alums of Pretoria High School. In addition, he’s frequently played plenty of games with and against future Proteas stars prior to entering the big leagues in domestic cricket. He featured for the University of Pretoria side, more commonly known as the Tuks Cricket Club. It wasn’t until soon after that he’d been asked to relocate to Free State. “I went to Wonderboom primary school in the north of Pretoria. In high school I was fortunate enough to get a cricket bursary from Die Hoerskool Menlopark in Pretoria. During my early years I played all my provincial age-group cricket from U11 to U19 for Northerns Cricket Union. In 2012 I made it to the Titans Cubs side. I played for a few years for the Titans colts team. Following that, I had a few good years at Pretoria High School Old Boys CC, and that’s where I got a call to move from Pretoria to Kimberley to play on the next level. As a result, I didn't have to think twice - I also played Varsity Cup for Tukkies in the first edition with the likes of Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen, where we regularly won.” Like most new youngsters, Snyman first embarked on his first-class career at provincial level, playing for Northern Cape since 2016. Since then, he’s had times to cherish in first-class, 50-over, and T20 cricket - and the rest is history. A year later, he registered his best ever first-class score of 209 against Free State during the Sunfoil 3-Day Provincial Cup. Snyman plundered a barnstorming 58-ball 117 (8 fours, 9 sixes) in the Africa T20 Cup against South Western Districts in September 2019. Another two months later, he put on an all-round exhibition in the CSA Provincial One-Day Challenge, smashing an imperious 135 and taking 5 wickets against Northerns. Snyman’s continued success and game-changing panache never went unnoticed, and the VKB Knights warmly welcomed him into their plans. During the 2018-19 season he played a handful of one-day games for the Knights, but this was the time when he’d make a profound impact and much more. “Thereafter I began my journey at Northern Cape, where my biggest highlight is probably getting my maiden class double ton against Free State in a 3 day game at Bloemfontein. In the one-day provincial cup, another fond memory is scoring 135 against Northerns and taking a 5 wicket haul against in that game. In the recently completed [2019-20] season I got my first Africa Cup T20 century against South Western Districts. Finally, my first Momentum Cup ton against the Cape Cobras is the biggest highlight of the season as it came from 61 balls.” Snyman’s family and coaches have always been behind him through thick and thin, and he credits them for keeping him on his toes as well as backing his strengths. He’s definitely indebted to Northern Cape, since that’s where he began his top-flight career from the ground up. “My family and my girlfriend keep me motivated to work harder and achieve more but take nothing away from coach JP Triegaardt, who is always pushing me harder and has really helped me grow into my game more and more. A huge thanks must go to Northern Cape cricket as well for all the opportunities I got there.” Finally, Snyman possesses the qualities needed to cash in at center stage - there’s exuberance, there’s willpower, there’s humility, and more importantly, the desire to reach full potential and beyond. While domestically it might be a relatively tougher time for South African cricket, Snyman is a paragon of the rich talent raring to force its way to the cream of the crop.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorsAkseli Pitkänen Archives
September 2020
Categories |