Shaun von Berg: The Proteas’ Shane Warne without the bravado

If you don’t pay enough attention to Shaun von Berg when he’s bowling, you’d be convinced you’re watching the legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne.

The resemblance is pretty uncanny.

Both are blonde, somewhat on the hefty side at times and bowl leg spin.

In fact, they even toss the ball in the same manner before they stride in though the man from Centurion’s mild-mannered personality is in stark contrast to Warne’s rock star reputation.

But Titans stalwart Von Berg, a mildly surprising inclusion for the Proteas’ Test series against Sri Lanka next month, isn’t aware of such comparisons.

“I actually never tried to copy him in any way,” said the 31-year-old with a smile on Tuesday.

“I obviously watched him quite a bit when he was playing towards the back end of his career but the action I’ve got now is a natural one that came to me. It’s a nice thing to know that people think we look similar!”

Unlike Warne – who took 708 Test wickets – Von Berg is a medium paced seamer who turned into a leggie.

“It’s actually a funny story. I used to bowl in-swingers when I was younger. When I developed my slower ball, I bowled it like a leg-spinner,” he said.

“A few batsmen who faced it, missed and were stumped. So I thought to myself this is a thing that comes naturally to me.”

The move certainly paid off as he’s become one of the most consistent spinners on the domestic circuit, even though he doesn’t always make the starting XI in a powerful Titans squad.

Von Berg boasts a very good first-class record of 345 wickets at a respectable average of 28.31 and is capable batsman with five hundreds behind his name.

Yet his rise is a story of sheer perseverance.

Troubled by weight issues for some parts of his careeer – he missed out on a South Africa ‘A’ tour last year because he wasn’t fit enough – Von Berg has continually made sure he simply remains consistent.

Malibongwe Maketa, who coached Von Berg at the Titans and had to plot against him as Warriors mentor, knows him well and is pleased with his elevation.

“He bode his time. He worked extremely hard to graduate through all the playing levels and has been rewarded. His control as a leggie sets him apart,” said the Proteas assistant coach.