“When things get tough, keep things simple”

Bjorn Fortuin emphasises the importance of self-belief and falling back on a simple gameplan as key to his success, writes Khalid Mohidin.

Fortuin’s hard work and dedication have helped him switch cities and become a star for one of the biggest franchises in South Africa.

He bagged two awards at the annual Cricket South Africa Awards – CSA T20 Challenge Player of the Year and Domestic Players’ Player of the Season.

The latter award, in particular, proves the value of Fortuin, who has become a one the Lions’ most important players across all formats.

Being a spinning all-rounder he has the quality that every team craves. An all-rounder of his quality is definitely missing in the national setup, and with a clear revolution taking place for the Proteas, Fortuin may be gifted an opportunity to show what he is capable of.

He proved his batting quality at the back end of the 4-Day Franchise Series. With the Lions needing a win in the final game of the season, they found themselves 96-6 and Fortuin came in to score 183 and take his side to a mammoth first innings total. This setup a victory for his side.

Despite being a bowling all-rounder with three first-class centuries to his name and an average of almost 35, Fortuin believes that he could have contributed more with the bat.

“I feel like I have let myself down over the last two years with the bat, to be honest,” he said exclusively to Cricket Fanatics Magazine. “There were opportunities where I could have scored big runs for the team and I didn’t take them.

“If there are opportunities [national team] available I will try my best to take it, but if not, I will focus on the next best thing in front of me which is the Lions.”

It hasn’t been the easiest journey for Fortuin, who left Cape Town just after finishing High School to look for more opportunities in the Highveld.

He faced a lot of difficult hurdles but stayed true to himself and that is what dragged him through the tough times.

“What I try to do.. and keep telling myself is that whenever things get tough, it’s just to keep things simple,’ Fortuin explained.

“There’s a lot of good players on the circuit, very talented players, guys who work just as hard as me if not harder. So try and find what works best for you as an individual.

“That’s what I pride myself on. Not every cricketer is the same, that’s what I found out the hard way. But that’s why to try to first and foremost keep things simple and progress from there.”