Keegan Petersen strives for higher honours

Knights batsman Keegan Petersen’s main motivation ahead of the 2019/20 4-Day Franchise Series is his drive for higher honours, writes Khalid Mohidin.

The 26-year-old had a stellar 2018-19 4-Day Franchise Series where he fell just one milestone short of the 1000-run mark.

He scored 923 runs in 9 games at an average of 61.53 which included three centuries and four half-centuries – An incredible return for someone who formed part of a mid-table side.

“The key to my performance was the motivation of thinking about higher honours and having it at the back of mind every single time I walked out to bat,” he said exclusively to Cricket Fanatics Magazine.

When you witness someone perform at such a high level, the first thought is whether it can be repeated. The upward trajectory of Petersen’s form which saw him almost double his record in the 2017/18 Sunfoil Series (497 runs @ 41.41) and intrinsic drive to work hard leads one to believe it can.

This drive to succeed is not only visible in his stats but in his attitude towards adversity.

Every player has a different motivation, for KP it remains that cliche childhood dream of playing for one’s country. He faced an unforeseen obstacle on that path when he was left out of the South Africa A squad for their tour to India. He was later added to the squad but was never given the chance to play.

“I obviously felt the disappointment by not being in the first pick of the four-day SA A team and I did feel hard done by when I heard that the teams were picked and I was left out after the season I had, but there was nothing I could do about that.

“Then going on tour as a replacement and not getting a game was demoralizing in the end. I didn’t take it well at the time.”

The snub did not crush Petersen’s spirit. If he can repeat or better his record of last season, he could force the hand of the national brains trust.

“All I can do and what I was told was to go back and do the same, score the runs and they won’t be able to ignore me. So I guess it’s back to the drawing board,” said Petersen.

“To repeat or to have a better season than last season is the goal. I’ve been working on that and I’ve been getting better than I was last year.

“I had a decent season overseas in the UK, in different conditions to when I previously played there.

“The end goal is to score a bunch of runs. My main motivation is striving towards improvement and trying to be the best I can be.”

Although he is fully focused on the all-important season ahead, Petersen still found time to leave some wise words for other young cricketers who are aiming for careers as professional cricketers.

“It’s not an easy road and you going to experience challenging times,” said Petersen. “It’s very difficult becoming a professional because it becomes a job. But never forget why you are doing it – ‘for the love of the game’.

“As much as it is a challenge, it’s a pleasure for all of us because we are doing what we love. So never give up no matter how challenging the road might get.”