Patience is key for young cricketers coming through the ranks, South Africa and Titans fast bowler Marchant de Lange said.
The speedster knows well enough what is required at the top after making his international debut for the Proteas two years ago barely past his teenage years.
Veterans such as Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith are nearing the end of their illustrious careers, while other senior players such as Dale Steyn face being overworked, which could lead to burnout and injury. But De Lange said plenty of fresh talent was seeping though, and warned against the obstacles that came with being a young cricketer.
“There are quite a lot of opportunities for youngsters to come through the system. But the guys need to be patient — and that includes myself as well,” he said.
“We as youngsters shouldn’t be rushing our careers and getting ahead of ourselves. We should rather always be out there to learn.”
De Lange’s career has been interrupted by a back injury sustained in 2012 in his last Test match, against New Zealand, which saw him miss out on the bulk of last season’s action. After making a return to action in 2013, he again sustained an injury three weeks ago while playing for the South Africa A side, although much milder this time around.
The 22-year-old, who bowls at speeds exceeding 150km/h could miss out on the Titans taking on the Lions in the eKasi Challenge in Mamelodi this weekend, while still on the road to a full recovery.
Team-mate Faf du Plessis hopes De Lange will soon be back.
“Marchant is missed, especially at the Titans. We want to get him back as quickly as possible. But that is the nature of fast bowling. When you consistently bowl at speeds over 150km/h then the body can’t quite handle it. He’s a huge asset to South Africa A cricket — players around the world fear him,” Du Plessis said.
De Lange is hoping to make a full recovery ahead of the Twenty20 Champions League taking place in India, starting in September. He is also hoping the Titans will be one of the teams to challenge for the title.
“At the moment the team is preparing very well. Hopefully we can pull it off and play some high quality cricket,” said De Lange.
