Sinethemba Qeshile's one-day career revival led SA A to series victory in St Lucia

IOL News

4 days ago

Sinethemba Qeshile Sinethemba Qeshile in action for the Warriors. Photo: PHANDO JIKELO Independent Media
Image: PHANDO JIKELO Independent Media
ABOUT six years ago, fresh out of matric at Hudson Park High School in East London, a 19-year-old Sinethemba Qeshile set the country alight with a List A century against a then-Temba Bavuma-led Lions side.
That innings of 121 runs in one-day cricket was followed by a first-class knock of 99 in Gqeberha against a Knights bowling attack led by Duanne Olivier, who at the time was feared by most of the top batters in the world.
Despite earning a Proteas T20 International cap a couple of weeks after his maiden List A century, Qeshile would somehow almost vanish into the domestic cricket wilderness, like many Eastern Cape-based cricketers before him.
Despite having played some big knocks in the Four-Day Series, including a century against the Kagiso Rabada-led Lions bowling attack, Qeshile's one-day cricket returns just never met the expectations, having scored a century in the format at 19.
The inconsistency in his role while playing at the Warriors also did not help as the right-handed batter simply struggled for six consecutive years.
However, in the ongoing South Africa A tour of the West Indies, it seems that something has finally clicked for Qeshile in the limited-overs arena.
The now-26-year-old announced his arrival in St Lucia with a half-century in the first one-day game, and followed up with an innings of 126 off 106 balls (18x4, 1x6) in the second encounter as he smashed international bowlers such as Oshane Thomas all around the Daren Sammy International Cricket Ground.
Though he fell cheaply in the third and final match of the one-day series on Tuesday, Qeshile's heroics saw the visitors secure a 2-0 series victory as the second match was abandoned due to persistent rain in the second innings.
Qeshile also finished as the leading run-scorer in the series with 197 at an average of 65.66, and was followed by Cape Town-born Jason Smith with 153 at an average of 76.5 and Rivaldo Moonsamy with 149 at an average of 49.
With the bat, Marques Ackerman, Jordan Herman and Mihlali Mpongwana brought up at least one half-century in the series, playing a key role in helping the visitors win the contest.
Mpongwana, as a seam-bowling all-rounder, made his presence felt with the ball as well, taking a total of four wickets, while seamer Tshepo Moreki finished the series as the leading wicket-taker with six scalps.