Jason Smith believes his move to Kingsmead in 2021, as much personal as it was professional, may prove beneficial for him and the Proteas at next month’s T20 World Cup.
“It’s fortunate that I play my domestic cricket [for the Dolphins] at Kingsmead, where conditions are not the easiest to bat,” the 31-year-old said.
“It’s helped me to grow because I’ve had to figure out ways to rotate strike and find boundary options in tough conditions where it’s not easy to score freely. Playing in those conditions has helped me massively in the past two years.”
Kingsmead has become the venue that most closely resembles conditions in the subcontinent where the World Cup takes place — with hosting being shared by India and Sri Lanka.
Smith was a surprise inclusion in the South African squad for the tournament, despite playing just two T20 Internationals and only one of those since Shukri Conrad took over as limited-overs coach. Conrad wasn’t even at that match in Windhoek in October as he was preparing the Test side for the series against Pakistan.
Smith actually top-scored with 31 off 30 balls, but South Africa were stunningly beaten by neighbours Namibia.
But Smith, part of the victorious SA under-19 world cup-winning squad in 2014, feels his versatility, which he’s had to develop in Durban, is a crucial attribute.
“It’s important to be flexible and adapt to any condition or situation that I face,” said Smith, adding he can bat anywhere from No.3 to No.7.
That adaptability was highlighted by Proteas selection convenor Patrick Moroney, as a primary reason why Smith was called up for the World Cup.
Though part of the SA A squads that toured India last November, Smith played no part in the first class and 50-over matches on that trip and his selection for the Proteas appears to have been sealed by outstanding performances in the domestic T20 Challenge for the Dolphins, where he scored 149 runs in four innings, with a strike rate of 196.05. His most impactful display was against the Titans at Centurion, where he blasted an unbeaten 68 off 19 balls hitting nine sixes to help his side to victory in a rain-reduced run chase.
Smith was picked up for R500,000 by MI Cape Town for this season’s SA20, and working with Hashim Amla, the franchise’s batting coach and Robin Peterson, the head coach, has helped create a sense of comfort.
“I was fortunate to play with them early in my career when they were the seniors (at Western Province) that I looked up to. We have quite similar characteristics, we get along quite nicely. They understand me as an individual,” said Smith.
Yet it was his move away from Cape Town that he believes helped his career the most. While fellow under-19 graduates like Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram, Andile Phehlukwayo and more recently Corbin Bosch all forged international careers, Smith struggled to find any consistency.
Shortly before making his international debut in the West Indies in 2024, Smith said moving to KwaZulu-Natal was vital because he was “a bit too comfortable in Cape Town”.
Strangely, now back in Cape Town for the SA20, he hopes working and playing there over the next few weeks will help him get some much needed rhythm before the World Cup. “The knowledge I’m getting from Hash [Amla] it’s not experience I can get anywhere else. There is no better time to learn from a legend. It will put me in good stead, not just for the World Cup, but carrying further on into my career.”
TimesLIVE
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