Johannesburg — There can be no understating of Keshav Maharaj’s importance to the current Proteas team.
Along with Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen and Lungi Ngidi, the 32-year-old left-arm spinner, is an ever-present across all three formats.
He is an essential component in tactical talks, he’s a leader as evidenced by him captaining the limited overs teams — both in One-Day Internationals and T20s — in the last 18 months, and he seems to be an extremely popular member of the squad.
How it got to the point that Maharaj, who’s played 42 Tests, 24 ODIs and 18 T20Is should have this elevated status is a tribute to his terrific work ethic, his skill and overall enthusiasm for the sport.
Maharaj, named Cricket SA’s Player of the Year, at a disappointingly tedious ‘ceremony’ that was like some kind of extended TV commercial on Sunday evening, has gone from being catalogued as Test player, to a multi-format one, in a very short space of time.
It took him two years to play four ODIs, he missed the World Cup in 2019 and only made his T20I debut last year.
His leadership is obviously vital, as is his tactical acumen.
As is the case with spinners in South Africa, their work is often under-appreciated. The fast bowlers are the glamour boys in South Africa, the spinners, just there to bowl some overs and give them a rest. But Maharaj has nine five wicket hauls in Test cricket, a 10-for, and a hat-trick, the latter coming against the West Indies in St. Lucia last year. He can ‘hold a game’ (giving the quicks a rest) and when the conditions suit, win it too.
There was no better example of that than the series earlier this year against Bangladesh. South Africa was under pressure, having just lost a vital One-Day series and then saw a host of household names head to India for the IPL.
With new players called up and with the two venues, Kingsmead and St. George’s Park, both to the touring team’s liking, Bangladesh were understandably confident.
Kingsmead, Maharaj’s home ground, is now no longer the home of the seam friendly ‘green mamba’ of years gone by, but more resembling a turning track in the sub-continent. Maharaj came into his own in the first Test.
Durban had almost surreptitiously shifted off the domestic Test calendar as a destination, because a couple of generations of Proteas players felt so uncomfortable playing there. Maharaj took that very personally. With his father Athmanand, a former wicketkeeper himself, his mother Kanchan and sister Tarisma watching, Maharaj produced a stellar, match-winning performance at his home ground.
“We've heard before that our record here at Kingsmead is not great. I'm just pleased I could change that perception and perhaps prompt the guys to want to come play more here in future," he said immediately after his second innings haul of 7/32 set up a 220-run win over Bangladesh in April.
He backed up that performance by taking seven wickets also in the second innings of the next Test at St. George’s Park in Gqeberha, thus becoming the first bowler in Test history to take seven-wicket hauls in consecutive fourth innings.
Maharaj is currently the 10th highest wicket-taker for the Proteas in Tests, with 150, and needs 21 more to pass Hugh Tayfield and become South Africa’s leading wicket-taking spinner.
“I almost broke down in tears,” he said after receiving his awards, which included being named by his peers as the Players Player of the Year. “It is one of the highest moments of my career and one of the most humbling. It’s an honour and a privilege not just for me, but my family back home who have made many sacrifices to help get me here.”
Currently in England, where the Proteas are preparing for a three match Test series that starts on Wednesday, Maharaj is no longer the lone spinner. In combination with Simon Harmer, he has provided South Africa with a nifty new string to its bow.
South Africa will always have a production line of quality fast bowling, but what Maharaj has achieved will ensure that spinners won’t be shunted to the side, just to give the quicks a break. He has brought them out of the shadows and for now the spotlight, deservedly, shines brightest on Maharaj.
IOL Sport