‘I still need to pinch myself that everything is real' — Corbin Bosch on his dream start to Test cricket

Daily Maverick

2 days ago

Corbin Bosch's record, despite a tiny sample size, is on par with the best to play Test cricket.
Corbin Bosch has had a scarcely believable start to his Test career. He averages 108.5 with the bat and 19.1 with the ball, elite numbers for any cricketer.
His unbeaten century and second-innings five for 43 in South Africa's 328-run victory over Zimbabwe in their first Test certainly helped that.
What makes Bosch's statistics even more remarkable is that he has only played two Test matches so far, highlighting just how well the 30-year-old Durban-born all-rounder has taken to international red-ball cricket.
His success at the highest level has been years in the making, having debuted in first-class cricket in 2017 for the Titans.
It took three years since winning the under-19 World Cup with South Africa in 2014 before he made his professional red-ball debut, and another seven before his Test debut. Everything happened slowly for Bosch and then all at once, with the past seven months of action leading to several highlights.
Among them is debuting for South Africa in One Day International and Test cricket, winning the SA20 with MI Cape Town, making his Indian Premier League debut and being part of the squad that won the World Test Championship final at Lord's.
'I was actually speaking to my mum about it the other day,' Bosch said in a press conference from Zimbabwe on Wednesday. 'I still need to pinch myself that everything is real.
'I've pretty much had a magical seven-month period. I've played some really, really good cricket.
'But I've surrounded myself with some fantastic people that have just guided me and pushed me even when times were tough. I knew that, eventually, when I got the opportunity, I was going to try and grab it with both hands.
'Fortunately for me, the rub of the green has gone my way thus far, and hopefully it may continue.'
Fighting for a spot
Coming in at No 8 for the Proteas against Zimbabwe, Bosch played with supreme composure as he first played second fiddle to a belligerent Lhuan-dre Pretorius before guiding the tail and notching up his first century in professional cricket.
Bosch's technique is sound and he evidently has the ability to go through different gears depending on the situation in the match.
And yet, 'I love my batting, but my DNA is fast bowling', the big quick said. Bosch's father is Tertius Bosch who played one Test match for South Africa, in 1992, as a fast bowler.
'It's not many that can bowl 140km/h and bat the way he does,' stand-in skipper Keshav Maharaj said about Bosch at the conclusion of the first Test.
Despite all of his attributes, Bosch is seemingly down the pecking order on the Test team's list of all-rounders. Wiaan Mulder, who has been made captain for South Africa's second Test against Zimbabwe following a groin injury to Maharaj, is being handed an increasing amount of responsibility, which indicates his importance to the side.
The squad in Zimbabwe is also missing regular faces, including Marco Jansen who usually bats at No 8 and opens the bowling.
'I think we have a healthy competition in South Africa at the moment,' Bosch said about where he sees himself in the hierarchy.
'I said to Shuks [Conrad] in Arundel that I'm going to make his job as hard as possible, whether it's the bat and the ball.
'But we're in a fortunate position in South Africa that it's such a good and healthy competition that it forces the guys at the top to be at their game.
'I don't know where I stand in the pecking order, but it doesn't bother me. If I represent my country, I just want to give it my best. If I'm on the side, I will support the guys to the end. So to me, I don't really focus on that.' DM