Cape Cobras fast bowler Beuran Hendricks says getting selected for South Africa’s T20 squad for the series against Bangladesh was a step in the right direction for him.
Hendricks was part of the T20 squad in Bangladesh, but didn’t feature in the two games, which South Africa won comfortably. However, the left-arm quick still has ambitions to play in next year’s T20 World Cup.
‘Selection for South Africa in the T20-format was a step in the right direction,’ Hendricks said. ‘Making sure I perform consistently for the Cape Cobras and the Proteas [when selected] is essential if I want to get into the Twenty20-squad.’
Hendricks said not playing in the two-match series did not frustrate or bother him. The fact that he spent time with a man who had been his mentor for a number of years, Charl Langeveldt, was a blessing.
Hendricks nipped out 28 batsmen in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge in 2013/2014, and also produced match-figures of 11-63 in the winter of 2013 when representing South Africa A against India A.
The fast bowler said he was given some routines by Greg King, the South African strength and conditioning coach, for the off-season.
Hendricks had a roller-coaster ride following his return from back injury in 2014/2015 and struggled a tad to assert himself.
He showed some glimpses of his superb ability in the final Sunfoil Series match of the season by taking seven for 74 in the emphatic win by an innings and 117 runs against the Dolphins.
Hendricks knows that bowling in a T20I is not only about physical ability, swing and seam, but also about the right mind-set when generating a head of steam at the start, or producing yorkers at the business-end.
‘Creating the right mind-set and adjusting to the different pressures are some of the things I am working on in training,’ he said.
