Ruan de Swardt’s all-rounder abilities were acknowledged by Cricket South Africa after he picked up two awards, but this is just the beginning for the Dolphins youngster, writes Khalid Mohidin.

South Africa has been hunting for a quality all-rounder for some years now. We have found players who can bowl and carry their bat, but have been searching for a player who can truly score big runs and bowl 140-plus.

One of the leading prospects who are capable of this role was honoured at the Cricket South Africa Awards on 4 July 2020 (3-day Cricketer of the Year) and the Amateur Awards on 3 July (Student Cricketer of the Year).

De Swardt, as described by the voice over at the awards, is a genuine all-rounder and he batted beautifully throughout the season for Northerns.

Although he was honoured for his One-Day performances with the bat, averaging 213 with 3 centuries and a half-century in 7 matches, he was fantastic in the 3-Day Cup too, averaging 47.44 in eight matches with two 100s and two 50s. He also took 15 wickets across all formats.

“I really put in a lot of hard work leading up to the season,” De Swardt said exclusively to Cricket Fanatics Magazine.

“Everything felt right before the season, everything just clicked. I’m really glad to receive the awards. Because I know how much work I put in.

“The highlight of the season for me was my knock against Western Province. I felt I played a very sensible knock – I had to control how I accelerated and when to step it down a notch, against a quality bowling attack.”

To give perspective to those two top moments for De Swardt, it must be understood that the all-rounder always felt he had to prove himself more with the bat, and those two performances were integral to him showing off his talent at the top of the order.

In that match, with his side at 57/3, De Swardt came in and hit 102 0ff 111 balls to help Northerns secure a 3-wicket win.

Against their bitter rivals Easterns, he hit 112 not out to take them from 184/4 to a total of 349/6. They ended up winning by 76 runs.

In both innings’, he showed composure and the knack to easily shift through gears willingly. His performances and resilience shown throughout the season are a great lesson to other aspiring cricketers.

“You never know who is watching. For me, it is every time I step on the field,” he said.

“I play at 110% and give it my all. I make sure I’m well prepared every time I walk out to the middle. Just like with my move to the Dolphins, I never knew who was watching – they told me they were always watching.

“So my advice is to always give your best, and don’t look too far ahead and stay calm in the present moment. If you perform things will happen.”