A recall to the Proteas Test squad capped an impressive start to the month for spinner Dane Piedt.

Piedt was named 4-Day Franchise Series Cricketer of the Year and South African Cricketers’ Association Most Valuable Player at the recent Cricket South Africa awards.

He was then named in the squad for October’s three Tests in India alongside fellow specialist spinners Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy.

‘I always wanted to win the First-Class Player of the Season award, so to finally do it is amazing. It’s a format of the game that players pride themselves on. It’s the hardest format – 40 days of cricket and if you want to win the competition you have to be in the field for a long time,’ said Piedt.

The Cape Cobras captain was the leading wicket-taker in the 2018-19 4-Day Franchise Series. He took 54 in 18 innings – 20 more than closest competitor and Cobras teammate Dane Paterson. A match haul of 13-141 against the Titans in Oudtshoorn was particularly impressive.

‘Down in Cape Town there’s a lot of pressure on us to win trophies. A lot of people know this, but at the end of the day it’s what we need to do and how we handle the pressure. So overall this is a really proud moment for me in my career,’ he added.

Acting director of cricket Corrie van Zyl, meanwhile, is looking forward to seeing Piedt bowling in sub-continental conditions again. Piedt played one Test in Delhi four years ago.

‘Dane had a fantastic season, and he gives us a specific skill set for those conditions as the off-spinner,’ added van Zyl.

‘If the conditions were to force us to go with three spinners, then Muthusamy comes into the equation, and obviously then his batting becomes crucial too.’

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