The Little Things That Keep Sarel Erwee going

Cricket Fanatics Magazine caught up with Sarel Erwee after his 199 for the Dolphins against the Lions to learn a thing or two about him, his game and what he gets up to when he is not piling on runs.

The opening round of 4-Day matches was played this week, and among the top performers across the board, was Sarel Erwee who scored a magnificent 199 for the Hollywood Bets Dolphins.

An innings that he ranks as one of his “most special ones.” Erwee and Keegan Petersen put the match beyond the Imperial Lions with their 337-run partnership. And as he was catching his breath, Cricket Fanatics Magazine caught up with him to learn a thing or two about him, his game and what he gets up to when he is not piling on runs.

The first thing we learnt is that he pays attention to and does the little things. For instance, when Khalid asked him about how he coped with the COVID-19-induced extended break from cricket, which came with great difficulties for sportspeople, he said, “I think there are a lot of sportsmen and sportswomen who had mental challenges that actually don’t talk about them enough, maybe they feel scared or insecure…”

Erwee, who encourages his fellow sportspeople to open up to those around them about their mental struggles, says he did just that. He opened communication lines with his partner, with his family and kept in constant touch with his friends. Not only did this help him, but it helped him learn more about those around him.

“And I just tried to stay busy as much as possible, a bit of reading… It’s not a massive thing, but I think it goes a long way if you can do the little things…” he added.

When out on the field, it’s also the little things that seem to have made a difference. Speaking of his partnership with Keegan Petersen, Sarel could only describe it as fun, “I really enjoyed that innings with him, he keeps it light and fun. He always has chirp or a joke here and there. He keeps it comfortable. He hit a six in this 4-Day game and that’s the only shot he talked about…”

One of the many other little things about Sarel is that when he is not playing, Sarel Erwee enjoys a bit of golf, even though a number of the younger Dolphins players suggest that he should spend more time off his feet as much as possible, because of his “advanced age.”

There are more revelations in the interview, from what drives him, his inspiration, to whom he thinks might be a good fit to be the next Proteas Test captain. A lot more little things to learn. Watch the interview.