Shock and delight for Dwaine
The Highveld Lions all-rounder was convinced his chances of a Proteas recall had evaporated once Chris Morris returned from injury. How wrong he thought...
Dwaine Pretorius during the Jozi Stars Media Launch at Bidvest Wanderers on October 19, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
The recall of Dwaine Pretorius to the Proteas squad for the tour of Australia and the all-rounder situation in South Africa ahead of the World Cup have been subjects of great interest lately, and the player himself admitted that his selection this week came as a very pleasant surprise.
The 29-year-old has done well enough with both bat and ball in his 12 ODIs thus far, but the last time he played for South Africa was almost exactly a year ago, and Pretorius will admit his domestic form since then has hardly compelled the selectors to look back in his direction.
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“I was quite surprised, I must admit. I thought I did quite well in the games I played for the Proteas, but my performances of late for the Highveld Lions have not been that great and then I made a pair at the Wanderers in my last game! So I thought I had no chance really when Chris Morris came back, but I’m very glad for the opportunity.
“I’ll have to see what the Proteas want from me and what their expectations are, but I’ll just be looking to keep it simple and put in some performances. I’ve actually worked really hard in the last year and I’m comfortable with where my cricket is, even if the results haven’t come yet. The biggest thing for me is consistency,” Pretorius said at the Wanderers.
The feedback on Pretorius from the SA A tour of India was good and, with Wiaan Mulder out of the picture until the end of January, the lanky seam bowler and power hitter certainly comes into the frame.
“The control I have in terms of length, I hope it sets me apart from the other contenders, and then the goal is just to score runs and help finish games. I bowled nicely in India, I was the most economical bowler and I asked the right questions. So I have nothing to lose in Australia.
“I may be an outside bet for the World Cup, but this is my opportunity and I just want to go out and express myself and trust my instincts. So much can happen between now and the World Cup so I must just stay grounded.
“We all have different skills and I think where it went wrong last season was that I tried to compete with the other all-rounders. I must just focus on what makes me me,” Pretorius said.
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