South African cricketers continue to perform well in the 2022 edition of the English County Championship.
Left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks is playing for Leicestershire. He made his debut against Worcestershire and is a big boost for the county’s pursuit of the title this season. Hendricks has played one Test, eight ODIs and 19 T20Is for the Proteas. He might be able to add to that tally in the future, but now has competition from fellow southpaw seamer Marco Jansen. It’s not likely South Africa will ever field two left-arm fast bowlers in the same XI.
Batsman David Bedingham is with Durham. He has been in outstanding form since joining the English county from Western Province in Cape Town, South Africa. Bedingham is a remarkable talent and seemingly destined for international cricket. Whether he eventually graduates to the biggest stage for England or South Africa remains in the balance.
“I’m just keen to focus on scoring runs wherever I play and hopefully through that, I can crack it at Test cricket at some stage. That’s always been the plan. The selectors never spoke to me directly, but I didn’t expect them to,” Bedingham told ESPNcricinfo.
“It’s completely up to them. If they were keen to pick me, perfect, but if not, I don’t expect any favours. If they want to go a different route, then that’s perfect too.”
Bedingham has been accompanied by batsman Keegan Petersen at Durham. This is Petersen’s first stint in county cricket. He’s a solid top- to middle-order option for the team. Learning how to succeed against the swinging ball in English conditions could really help his game come along.
Simon Harmer remains a stalwart for Essex, who are among the County Championship favourites with Sportland. The veteran spinner has now, finally, made a comeback to international cricket. What’s more, he’s adding value with the bat as well. While his primary role is with the ball, many consider Harmer to be an all-rounder.
Speaking of players who have a lot of talent with bat and ball, Wiaan Mulder is at somewhat of a crossroads in his career. He has not quite lived up to the expectation placed on him during the initial stages of his career. If he comes off the 2022 English county season on the back of a successful stint with Leicestershire, many critics might become fans again. Time will tell.
Don’t forget about Hashim Amla. He has retired from international cricket, but continues to churn out appearances for Sussex. The talismanic right-hander enjoyed an outstanding Test, ODI and T20I career for the Proteas. He even scored centuries in the Indian Premier League. Now, he’s a near permanent fixture in English county cricket.
In closing, there is seamer Kyle Abbott. He continues to pick up wickets for Hampshire. He seems to have a real handle on conditions in the United Kingdom. He knows how to exploit the conditions and get the better of batsmen time and time again. It’d be nice to see Abbott playing international cricket again, like Harmer and Wayne Parnell have come to do since the end of the Kolpak era.