Persistence pays off as Connor Esterhuizen steps up for Proteas
· Citizen
Having considered calling it quits earlier in his career, after struggling to make inroads at senior level, top-order batter Connor Esterhuizen is glad he stuck around.
After matriculating from St John’s College, Esterhuizen was on the verge of hanging up his bat in 2020, but following an enforced break due to the Covid pandemic, he returned to the game with renewed vigour.
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And his persistence paid off. He played his top-flight domestic debut for the Lions in March 2022 and in 2024 he played his first SA20 season for MI Cape Town.
This month, with most first-choice players being rested, Esterhuizen was one of five uncapped players called up to tour with the Proteas T20 squad in New Zealand.
Standing up
And the 24-year-old player has grabbed his opportunity. In his first game for the SA side, he made 45 not out to play a key role in the under-strength Proteas squad’s stunning seven-wicket victory over the Black Caps in Mount Maunganui.
Shining again at the weekend, he bashed 57 runs, compiling his first international half-century in Wellington as he helped the national squad pick up a 19-run victory to level the series at 2-2 with one match to play in Christchurch on Wednesday.
“Before Covid, at the back end of my school career, I didn’t make the teams I wanted to or I thought I was good enough to make,” said Esterhuizen, who also keeps wicket.
“After that I wasn’t sure if cricket was really for me or if I was good enough to play professionally after school. And then Covid hit and it was sort of a saving grace – a little bit of a break from the game – and then I worked my way up from club and university cricket into the Lions B team, the Colts.
“Then I got my opportunity at Lions level and an opportunity here and there, and I played a little bit more throughout the last two years. And I think maybe just a couple of good performances and you can find yourself sitting in this position.”
Dealing with pressure
Though he admitted the additional pressure was a difficult challenge to overcome at international level, Esterhuizen was pleased to have stepped up.
“I’ve loved every second of my first tour with the Proteas. The lessons I think I would take are probably just the pressure and the scrutiny, and how to sort of deal with it,” he said.
“I don’t think anyone masters how to deal with it or anything like that, but I think the more you do it the more accustomed you become to it.”