Donald Bradman is widely regarded as the greatest ever to pick up a cricket bat, but the Proteas are ready to unleash their own ‘Don’ in the T20 series against Australia.

Donovan Ferreira has had a meteoric rise in the professional ranks having had to give up his 9-5 full-time salesman job just two years ago.

The big-hitting wicketkeeper-batter’s life and his career in cricket changed considerably when he was bought for R5.5m by the Joburg Super Kings for the inaugural season of the SA20.

The 25-year-old was then selected for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and also the Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

He recounted how he was on the airport on his way to the West Indies for CPL duty when he received a call from Proteas white-ball head coach Rob Walter that he had been selected in the Proteas squad for the T20 series against Australia.

Even though the trajectory of his career was only going one-way, Ferreira admits the national team call-up still came as a surprise.

He said: “So far everything in my career has happened out of the blue, I wasn’t expecting any of this. I wasn’t expecting this call-up, I didn’t expect SA20, IPL and the Titans call-up.

“You never know when things might get taken away or the next opportunity might come.

“My mindset is that each opportunity I get and each game I play could be the last. So I cherish each moment, in each changeroom I am in, and try to make as many memories as I possibly can. I enjoyed working, but I don’t want to go back there.”

The Proteas and Australia have always had intense battles on the field (and sometimes off it) and Ferreira is ready to write his own chapter in the history of the rivalry.

“If I get a chance to play, I have to take it with both hands. It’s a perfect opportunity to show the world what we can do as a team and myself as an individual,” he added.

“I’m just looking forward to expressing myself and no better opposition to do it against than Australia.

“It’s always such an exciting series because you know something is going to happen. They will come with a fire attack, you come with a fire team, it’s always good cricket.”

So while Australia, and the world, will forever cherish Bradman, the Proteas are ready to unleash their own ‘Don’ to the world.