As the 2025-26 domestic season commenced, Cricket Fanatics Magazine chatted with Dian Forrester to discuss his goals and aspirations for the upcoming domestic season.

Forrester was also recently selected by the Joburg Super Kings to play for the franchise in the upcoming SA20 in December.

Dian Forrester is an all-rounder and more specifically he is a left-handed batsman and right-arm fast bowler. He started his South African domestic career off at the Knights before moving to the North-West Dragons. He was nominated as the newcomer of the year for the 2024-25 domestic season.

Forrester started off the interview by highlighting his goals and aspirations for the upcoming domestic season by saying,

“I am not really the type of player that sets specified goals for myself. I try train and prepare as best as I can so that I can be in the best space possible to win matches for my team. Occasionally the team may require me to fulfil different roles or play in a specific way which is what I am happy to do. As a collective unit, we want to try win as many trophies as possible.”

He then indicated that he wants to improve on the following aspects of his game:

“I was not happy with the way that I was getting out in last season’s 4-Day competition. I had a lot of soft-dismissals where I would get out either LBW or nicked off. 

“There were also a couple of nail biters in the domestic T20 league that I think I could have handled a bit better. So yeah these are the areas that I am working on as the season goes on.”

Forrester has consistently put in high-quality performances for the sides he has played in thus far. On his List A debut for the Knights, he scored 128 off 100 balls and took 6 wickets in the match (including a hat-trick). He was also one of the leading run-scorers for the Knights, scoring 560 runs in 11 innings at an average of 62.22 during the 2023/24 season. 

On 14 May 2025, he also scored 96 not out and had bowling figures of 2/31 in the 2nd unofficial ODI between South Africa Emerging and Bangladesh Emerging.

After taking 4 wickets and scoring 66 in the match against KZN Inland in game one of the 2025-26 4-Day Competition, Forrester indicated that he has the following routine to prepare well with both bat and ball:

“I think last season, I focused too much on my batting and neglected my bowling a bit. With regards to batting specifically, I have developed a nice routine where two days before a match, I will do my high volume load with a lot of side arm drills and focus on my head position. 

“On the bowling side of things, I have never bowled so much over the off-season as I have done over the past few months. I have focused on doing a lot of 10-meter work as well which has helped. I am the type of bowler that if I am getting bounce I know that I am bowling well.”

He also went on to express his happiness at being selected by the Joburg Super Kings for the upcoming SA20 by saying:

“I am very excited and honored to have been selected by the Joburg Super Kings. I am keen to have the opportunity to talk to more experienced players like Faf du Plessis and Wiaan Mulder.

“I am fortunate that I know Donovan Ferreira from playing at Tuks and he bats in a similar position to me so I am excited to have the opportunity to learn from him as well.”

He further elaborated on his aspirations for the SA20 by saying:

“I want to be a part of a team that wins games and trophies. Personally, I would like to improve my mindset during close games and improve my decision-making in these types of situations as well.”

Throughout his career, Forrester has consistently shown that he is willing to embrace new experiences. 

In 2022, he played club cricket in Scotland as a player-coach for Aberdeenshire. He was also signed by North Down Cricket Club in Northern Ireland, which further highlights his willingness to challenge himself in new environments.

When asked about his experience playing for the North-West Dragons thus far (after moving from the Knights), Forrester said:

“I have loved every second of being at the Dragons since moving. The team culture is awesome and we all are driven by the same purpose and standards. 

“If someone doesn’t meet these standards, a teammate or coach will call it out. The ground and town has great facilities and everything is close together. 

“People such as my coach (Mr. Craig Alexander) and teammate Alfred Mothoa have really been helpful to me on a personal level.”

The majority of the all-rounders that have played for South Africa recently seem to be bowling all-rounders and, aside from Wiaan Mulder, there seem to be fewer batting all-rounders who regularly play for the Proteas. 

The experience of playing and chatting to guys like Wiaan Mulder and a coach like Stephen Fleming (in addition to the world-class coaching he has received at the North-West Dragons) will be an invaluable experience for him.

It is believed that Forrester could serve as a good back-up (and potentially take over) from players like Wiaan Mulder, as he has already shown the technical and mental characteristics that prove he is ready for international cricket.

We at Cricket Fanatics Magazine would like to thank him for the interview and we wish him all the best for the upcoming season.

Written by: Stuart Judge