It may be very early days in the South African domestic season but Hollywoodbets Dolphins opener Sarel Erwee has put his hand up with the first big statement knock of the first-class season.
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With Proteas places up for grabs, particularly in the Test XI, Erwee’s 199 against the Lions in Durban is an indication that he has something the national team seem to have lacked for some time, that is the ability to pile on big runs.
The St Charles College Old Boy already has a first-class double ton to his name, but he would have been bitterly disappointed to miss out on an opportunity to post an even bigger score.
An obstacle to Erwee’s advancement may prove to be his left-handedness with the Proteas already having one left-handed opener in Dean Elgar. The Titans man is among the favourites to take over the Test captaincy.
The Proteas might be served by defying the convention of never opening with two left-handers, emulating Australia’s Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden.
Erwee is the kind of player who can grind out a knock and use his power to relieve pressure and counterattack. He has the resilience to survive a fiery new-ball spell and the range of shots to punish a wayward bowler.
Now 30-years-old, Erwee has spent his entire career playing for the Hollywoodbets Dolphins and certainly qualifies as a consistent franchise performer worthy of being rewarded with a Proteas opportunity.
Considering his career record, Erwee could force his way into the Proteas team with a strong start to the CSA 4-Day Franchise Series.
The first Test of the Proteas home summer will come on Boxing Day when they face Sri Lanka at the Wanderers with six rounds of the 2020–21 CSA 4-Day Franchise Series preceding the World Test Championship series.
Erwee was one of only two batsmen in the first round of matches to post a first innings score of more than 150, with the other being his Hollywoodbets Dolphins teammate Keegan Petersen who scored 173 and shared a 337-run second-wicket partnership with the opener.
The Proteas inability to dominate with the bat in the initial phases of Test matches has been the side’s undoing, and Erwee appears a ready-made solution.
Written by James Richardson.
