Warriors and Proteas batsman Jon-Jon Smuts describes pulling on the senior Protea colours as a dream come true and believes, if he is given the opportunity, he can deliver so much more.
Having played eight T20 internationals for the Proteas since his debut in the series against Sri Lanka in 2017, Smuts believes he has what it takes to perform in national colours if given the chance.
“It was a dream come true, playing for my country. I would love to play more for the Proteas. I still feel like I have a lot more to offer if I am given the opportunity.”
Despite only recently making his senior debut, Smuts has had experience at international level, having represented both SA “A” and SA U/19.
Smuts’ 2017/18 season with the Eastern Cape franchise was a memorable one and he will continue his positive approach to the game as the team looks to build for the future.
Smuts, a clean-hitting opening batsman with the ability to turn the ball with his left-arm orthodox spin bowling, enjoys the aggressive brand of cricket currently played across all three formats.
“Rivash [Gobind] has been great for the team. He is chilled but still has very high expectations of us. He knows how to get the best out of each player and we really enjoy playing with him as head coach.
“He has a great cricket brain and he has great insight, and he is still very young so he is only getting better,” the 2017/2018 Warriors player of the year said.
Having played the game professionally for 12 years, Smuts describes himself as the “very aggressive player” who always looks to play the game in a positive manner.
“I am enjoying the brand of cricket that the Warriors are playing at the moment. We have lots of local talent, so it’s very exciting,” said Smuts, who was also named the 2018 Momentum One Day Cup player of the series.
First introduced to the game by his father, Smuts said his interest grew as he watched his father play club cricket in Grahamstown, where he was born and raised.
He attended Graeme College and NMU and also studied through Unisa.
Smuts said his studies had to take a back seat as his cricket career started taking off.
“I played for Eastern Province through all the age-group levels.
“I was 18 when I made my debut and the bug bit. I wanted to play cricket all the time.”
He made his debut for the Warriors in 2007. He was selected as captain for the white ball formats in the 2016/2017 season, and became captain of all formats the following season.
He said the Warriors being named team of the year at the prestigious Eastern Cape Sports Awards presented by the provincial department of sports and recreation was a massive honour for him as captain, but more for the team, as “it was something all of us had worked extremely hard for”.
“Cricket is my job, Full-time. I have been doing it professionally for about 12 years,” Smuts said.
“If I wasn’t a cricketer I would have loved to play golf.”
Looking ahead to the upcoming Warriors season, Smuts said: “For the upcoming season, we would like to build on how we ended last season.
“We will stick to our game plans and our processes and control what we can.
“We represent the Eastern Cape and the support we get at St George's Park and Buffalo Park [East London] is tremendous. We just want to keep on playing for our fans and for each other.”