Reeza Hendricks expressed his desire to play Test cricket, revealed some of his heroes growing up and dropped some important advice to young cricketers in this exclusive Q&A with Nabeelah Fakier.

Reeza Hendricks is a right-handed batsman for The Lions, Proteas and in the MSL for Jozi Stars.

He’s the first player in domestic cricket history to score tons in all three Franchise competitions in South Africa.

He made his international debut in T20 cricket in 2014 and his ODI debut last year. 

Hendricks is also one of three South Africans in history to score a century on debut in ODIs, as well as one of 15 batsmen overall with that achievement – the other South Africans being fellow Lions teammate Temba Bavuma, and Colin Ingram. 

Through all the highs, there have been some difficult moments too, especially the World Cup snub in 2019.

I caught up with him during the Mzansi Super League 2.0.

What has the road thus far been like for you as a professional cricketer, in South Africa? And what would you say is your favourite standout moment in your career? 

“It’s been a great journey thus far, lots of ups, lots of downs. I had a great deal of success as well as failures, a few setbacks as well, a few disappointments, so it was never a smooth sailing journey, but I think that’s life in general.

“Even more so in sport and cricket in general as well, where it’s never just smooth sailing, you’re bound to fail and if you work really hard you’re bound to succeed as well. So that’s been my journey thus far, full of highs and full of lows.

“The standout moment in my career would probably be the one of last year when I made my ODI debut in Sri Lanka. Scoring a hundred on debut as well, that’s probably the standout one in my career.

“Then also probably the first time I made my Proteas debut which was in 2014 – T20 debut – but I think definitely the one of last year making my ODI debut and scoring a hundred on debut.”

What lessons have you learnt from being a Proteas player and what has that achievement meant to you, what’s that accolade like? 

“Playing for the Proteas is a massive privilege and honor. Growing up I got to watch my local heroes playing on TV and live as well, so for me to live that dream now is a real proud moment. It’s goals I’ve set for myself and to achieve them, It’s a very proud moment.”

Many fans really want to see you in Test cricket for SA and strongly feel that you should be there – What are your aspirations for Test cricket? 

“I would really like to play Test cricket as well, I firmly believe, or this is how I see myself, as an all-three-format player. I firmly believe that I can play Test cricket as well – So that’s still a goal of mine.

“I still have aspirations to play Test cricket, so I’m working strongly towards that goal. Something I don’t really like is to be boxed in as just a white-ball player. So hopefully I can achieve that goal and break into the Test team in the near future.”

How do you manage to stay on top of things mentally, how do you keep that balance with your career and your everyday life? 

“Mentally I think it’s important to stay level-headed. As I mentioned there’s success then there’s lots of disappointments as well, but to mentally be prepared or mentally stable l would say to try and be level-headed, not get carried away with the success and also not to get too down when you’re faced with disappointments. So that’s what I try and do.

“I personally have processes that I follow in terms of my preparation, in terms of the way I go about things, so I know if I am doing well that’s what I try and stick to, and even if I’m failing I try and stick to that as long as possible. That way I find mentally I’m in a good space more often than not. If I’m doing badly I know where to fall back on.

“It’s very important in sport to be in a good mental space and I think your family and friends, your support structures, are there to help you and to take your mind off things when it’s not really going too well, but even so when you aren’t doing well, as I said, you don’t want to get carried away with your success.

“Cricket is my life at this point, so my focus is on that – to try and achieve everything that I set my mind to, but it’s important to also get away from the game and that’s what your family is there for, as well as your friends. I try and balance it that way, but they are very understanding that cricket is my life and it’s my focus at this point.”

Do you ever feel pressured to rack up the runs? 

“At times I feel it’s natural that you feel pressure in terms of doing well, in terms of racking up the runs. As a player you always want to achieve and want to do your best. As a batsman it’s about trying to score as many runs as possible.

“So yes, I think there’s somewhat pressure to a certain extent. I think also when you break into different teams, you want to start well, you want to do well from the beginning, you know?

“I think that’s probably where you feel a bit of pressure as well. It happens naturally but as players we shouldn’t try and be in those pressure situations because that can just add more pressure and things just don’t happen the way you want it to, but it’s natural to feel some pressure.”

What is your favourite ground to play on in South Africa? 

“Well I’ve got two, I really enjoy playing at the Wanderers and then the scenic Newlands stadium as well.”

What are your goals and dreams for this season with the Lions as well as personal goals for your career going forward? 

“My goals for the season would probably be – for whatever team I play for to try and contribute as well as I possibly can. As a batsman, I definitely want to go out there and score runs all the time and if I can do that, if I can help the team win games, I would definitely be happy with that.

“So, valuable contributions to every team I play for and win games. Also probably try and play more consistently in the Proteas as well – T20, ODIs and hopefully I get to break into the Test team sometime soon. So those are the goals I’ll be working towards.”

What was it like for you as a cricket fan growing up? Who did you enjoy watching?

“I’m someone who really enjoys sport, all sports really. So growing up I was always surrounded by sport, playing sport in the backyard, playing at school, whether it’s cricket, hockey, soccer whatever, you name it. Growing up I used to enjoy going to the field to watch our local heroes back then play cricket, and I got the opportunity to watch Herschelle Gibbs live and I think he’s one guy that I really enjoyed watching.

“The Western Province team back then was a good one – Jacques Kallis was in the team as well, so those are two guys who I really enjoyed watching, and obviously when they played for the Proteas. When I got older, I then enjoyed watching Sachin Tendulkar – the three of them growing up would definitely be the ones that come to mind.”

Being a senior in domestic cricket, and playing with a lot of young guys, what advice would you give to young hopeful cricketers?

“To young hopeful cricketers out there, what I’d definitely say is, they have to set goals, it’s important to set goals. There are a lot of young talented players out there, the only way that you separate the good players from the average players is by hard work.

“There are a lot of talented players out there, so it’s important to work hard, set yourself goals and never give up. Keep persisting at it. Once you do that, with your goal in mind I think you will definitely achieve it. So it’s important for those young players to keep working hard towards it and keep persisting.”

The 4-Day Franchise series kicks off again after the MSL on 19 December.