Nabeelah Fakier chatted to Border and Warriors batsman Marco Marais who opened up about his career, his goals and life as a professional cricketer.

Marais was born in Worcester in the Western Cape, but grew up in Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape. He’s been playing cricket since he could walk and his dad played Provincial cricket for Boland. He was the leading run-scorer in the 2018 Africa T20 Cup. In the 2017-18 3-Day Cup for Border against Eastern Province, Marais etched his name in the history books by scoring the fastest triple century in First-Class cricket. 

We caught up Marais to see what he’s been up to.

I definitely have to start with this one first, in 2017 you smashed a world record that stood for 96 years by scoring the quickest triple century in First-Class cricket off 191 balls! What was that moment like for you? 

To be honest with you it was an unbelievable feeling, unreal actually. I remember thinking, “I finally beat my Dads’ highest score” – which was 270 or 280 odd in a hostel game, many moons ago – he used to brag about it when we argued about cricket, but I just thought, “Joh Marco you did your job today as a batsman”. I only realized the next day it was a world record. I’m very fortunate to have such an amazing accolade next to my name.

Based on your performances last season, do you feel that you deserved a call up to SA Emerging or the SA A side? 

I don’t believe anyone deserves anything, if you work hard, you will be rewarded and appreciate the opportunity more than an opportunity that is just given to someone. I’m not shy to work hard and like I said, you will be rewarded, you just have to keep knocking on the door that’s all.

Growing up, which Proteas player have you looked up to? 

Growing up I used to watch Jacques “The King” Kallis. When he got out or stopped bowling I’d switch the TV off. The way he was criticized for batting too slow and to then see how he adapted from Test to limited-overs cricket was amazing.

What would you say is easier, being a cricketer or a farmer? 

We can argue about this a lot, I love the farm and all the animals, I love not having to look into peoples’ yards when I open the curtains in the morning. But then again I also love cricket. Both are stressful and can be financially rewarding but it can also cost you a lot.

How do you balance and stay on top of things with all the other aspects of your life? How do you stay focused? 

There has to be a balance between cricket and your life away from cricket. My support from family, friends, my parents, grandparents and my fiancé is absolutely amazing. I do try and do a lot of outdoor stuff, like game drives etc, just to keep my mind clear. But to find a balance is easy, I’ve been playing cricket for a living now for 7 or 8 years, which isn’t that long, but along the way, you work out what you need and who to spend time with.

What was your overall experience being part of the MSL T20 and The Nelson Mandela Bay Giants, has it been a great learning opportunity for you?

I loved every minute of the MSL, it was a tough learning curve jumping from semi-professional level to that standard. Our team was great we got along very well and our coach was obviously Eric Simons, but to see the other guys prepare for a game and what their rituals are was just amazing.

Playing with the likes of Imran Tahir, Jason Roy & Chris Morris, what have you learned from them?

To be honest, one thing I realized playing with the likes of Imran Tahir, Jason Roy and Chris Morris to name but a few, is that they are only human like you and me. If you asked them anything, they responded, and they were not shy to share knowledge as well – which made asking questions easy. 

What are your goals for the Warriors? 

My goals for the Warriors would be to just keep contributing to the team, whether I play or not, to just give 100% and make sure to do well to set myself up for the seasons to come. 

Photo: Supplied