Reader Martin Roux from Durbanville shares what cricket means in his life and how he prepares himself to keep raising his game.

A five-hour game is a lamentation to my dad, but it is my life’s oxygen. At first, it was all about the clothes, the bat, the ball. The first time I hit a fifty, lifting my bat to the applause of my teammates, my heart leaped and I knew, I love this game not only the gear.

It’s an equaliser. Since walking into my senior school year, I expanded my mind and this game is an enabler. The people who have come into my life, from school, and at my local Durbanville club, are incredible. They share my passion, they see my passion, and it’s an instant bond.

Before I fall asleep, I find myself pacing my run-up, angling my bat, feeling the grip, smelling the field. This is a ball on the sweet spot.

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Diversity also draws me. Not one game is the same, never am I the same. Each event levels the players. Another field, another team, the game changes, we have to adapt, we need to analyse the opposition, chasing those runs, trying to get a close partnership broken. Off-side, leg-side, cow-corner, who knows this? I love it!

The adrenalin of a night-bash, the strategy of a two day, the thrill of a cricket tour. Visiting Newlands, even Centurion, what a blast. Even the nets inspire me.

In 2014 I had the opportunity to visit Lord’s Cricket grounds in London. I sat in the dressing room and looked at the achievements of the South African names on the walls. It was a proud and profound moment that I shall treasure. My dream is to walk onto that field as a cricketer one day.

– Martin Roux