The switch to the Dolphins from the Knights is for Keegan Petersen a ‘bitter-sweet’ one, but the timing of the move is essential for his career, writes Marc Jacobson.

Petersen managed to get a taste of Test cricket late last year when he was called up to the Proteas squad against England as an injury replacement for Aiden Markram.

Prior to that calling, the number three batsman scored a swift 111 runs for the South African A side against the Brits in a warm-up match in Benoni.

The three-day match was subsequently drawn and Petersen’s score was the second-highest of the match after Ollie Pope’s 132.

Although having received the honours of becoming part of the national mix, Petersen did not make his official Test debut and he hopes his move to the Durban-based Hollywoodbets Dolphins will tip-toe him closer to a starting berth.

“This move is almost to get myself in the right direction so that I can get those national honours more often and to stay there and maintain a spot in the Test squad,” Petersen told Cricket Fanatics Magazine.

“I am moving into a Test venue now (Kingsmead Cricket Ground), which is actually what pushed me into making this move.”

The 27-year-old has shown much prowess in unlimited overs cricket in the past, having scored the most runs in the 2018/19 4-Day Franchise Series, totalling 923 runs in nine matches at an average of 61.53 – also the highest of the competition that season.

“A lot of my focus is going into red-ball cricket right now – I’m not writing off white-ball cricket and I want to improve my game in the one-day format [as well] – but I want to focus all my energy into Test cricket and try to make that Test side.”

The Dolphins will welcome Petersen into their set-up as he hopes to complete their puzzle.

“This move is fortunately in my favour as I know the guys quite well. I played with and against all of them at some stage of my career and I even played against the coach (Imraan Khan) and assistant coach (Quinton Friend) way back when I started,” Petersen quipped.

“It’s not like I’m going into a blind shot territory. I’ve known them for a number of years now.

“I’ve had some time to think about what pushed me in this direction. I’ve seen the cricket they’ve been playing over the last two years or so and it’s definitely a brand I want to fit in with. I think I’ll be okay.”

The Knights, too, provided him with the opportunity to grow at the time of his arrival four years ago when he was at a somewhat vulnerable stage of his career.

Petersen, who was schooled at New Orleans Secondary in Paarl, dubs Bloemfontein as his ‘second home’ and he described the union as having moulded his identity as a cricketer.

“I had to come to Bloemfontein alone four years ago, not knowing where it would go. I came to get more game time and I learned a lot over the past couple of years,” Petersen continued.

“I had to figure things out on my own and I had to figure out my batting [style] without any real batting consultants or coaches around.

“That’s taught me a lot and I’ve made friends in Free State that I can call family. They’ve been really good to me.

“I achieved a lot at the Knights, and leaving them has a bitter-sweet taste, but I think it’s time to move on and it’s a good move for me right now. I’m extremely excited.”

Petersen is set to make his debut for the Dolphins at the turn of the 2020/21 season after the current season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

READ: MAJOR TRANSFERS AT FRANCHISE LEVEL

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