No more breaks for Super King Ferreira

Donovan Ferreira still works for IXU Sport, but his employment circumstances differ to those of September 2021 when he had to take leave to play for the Northerns Titans.

“I’m still employed. When I have time off, I go into the office,” said Ferreira. “Time off” now for the 24-year-old who works in sales and marketing for the cricket equipment manufacturer means a break from the game.

In the spring of 2021 he famously had to take leave after getting a call-up for the Cricket South Africa (CSA) T20 Knockout competition in Bloemfontein. That week proved life-changing.

He was the Titans’ leading run-scorer and had the highest strike-rate — an eye-catching 153.53.

Suddenly, from a player the Titans had chosen to let go, Ferreira became a central figure in their limited-overs campaigns, earned a R5.5m contract in the SA20 with the Joburg Super Kings and was picked up for this year’s Indian Premier League by the Rajasthan Royals for R1.03m.

“It all happened really quickly. A year and a half ago, I’d stopped playing cricket, I was working full time and Mandla (Mashimbyi) and the Titans gave me an opportunity just to get back into the game,” Ferreira said. 

“To get signed for (the SA20) for this amount of money is obviously amazing.” 

It has meant more people recognising him in the street, while expectations have also exploded, something he needs to be wary of given the position he plays.

There is a fine line between being hero and villain as a “finisher” in limited-overs formats.

He wore the hero’s cape in the final of the CSA T20 Challenge earlier this season, producing a match-winning performance for the Titans when he made 40 off 25 balls, coolly biding his time in a tense affair against the KZN Dolphins. 

“You always feel pressure in any game you play and no matter what stage you’re on. It is amplified on this particular stage (the SA20), but the coaching staff have put a lot of faith in me,” said Ferreira. 

“There is the amount of money you sign for (which creates pressure) ... I spoke to the coaching staff about that, but they said they signed me for the skills I have and the player I am.

“The timing of the auction worked in my favour, which I am grateful  for. There is always going to be pressure and I am quite hard on myself to perform in every game. Batting at the end, I have to deal with pressure the whole time. I can’t let the pressure overshadow the performances. If I perform, I’ll be keeping people happy.”

At the Super Kings he’ll play under captain Faf du Plessis, who he used to work for because Du Plessis was the face of IXU, and can call on the coaching expertise of Stephen Fleming, Eric Simons and Albie Morkel.

“The latter understands more than most the pressures of being a 'finisher’. It’s a massive privilege to work with Albie and talk about power hitting, I’m just looking forward to learning and it will be the same with the IPL.”

As for his newfound fame, Ferreira is dealing with that in the same ice-cold fashion he smashes cricket balls at the end of an innings.

“More people recognise me. I try to block it all out. You can’t get sucked into all the things off the field. I see it as my job. I always say to people, ‘When you get a nice promotion at work, how do you feel?’ I had to learn that.”

“I lost my contract two years ago and had to go and work — at that point there was no hype around me having a new job. That is how I view this. It’s in the public eye and I understand that, but the more time you spend focusing on what you should do as a player, winning games for your team and investing in your team, that keeps you aligned.”

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