Former Graeme College pupil, Jon-Jon Smuts, emerged as one of the Warriors' star performers in the recent Champions League T20 (CLT20) cricket tournament hosted in India earlier this month.
Smuts ended the tournament as the fifth highest run scorer behind international superstars David Warner, Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and fellow countryman Jacques Kallis. Smuts opened the batting and lead the Warriors run scoring charts, scoring 184 runs in 4 innings at an average of 46. He struck 20 x 4’s and 3 x 6’s in the tournament at an impressive strike rate of 114.
Former Graeme College pupil, Jon-Jon Smuts, emerged as one of the Warriors' star performers in the recent Champions League T20 (CLT20) cricket tournament hosted in India earlier this month.
Smuts ended the tournament as the fifth highest run scorer behind international superstars David Warner, Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and fellow countryman Jacques Kallis. Smuts opened the batting and lead the Warriors run scoring charts, scoring 184 runs in 4 innings at an average of 46. He struck 20 x 4’s and 3 x 6’s in the tournament at an impressive strike rate of 114.
His best performance came in the Warriors second match against the South Australian Redbacks where he smashed 88, a Warriors T20 record, in sweltering 39 degree heat. Smuts said it took a lot of energy and adrenalin to face Shaun Tait, arguably the world’s quickest bowler. But the fiery Tait was no match for the big Grahamstonian who smashed the Australian out of the attack. To cap a great day’s performance Smuts grabbed 1 for 16 with the ball as the Warriors eased past the Redbacks.
When asked about his personal performance by Grocott’s Mail, Smuts was quick to point out that it was a team game. “It was a good tournament, but it was disappointing not to make it through. The Warriors are a good T20 side and we wanted to win” he said. Having won their first two games, the Warriors went on to lose their next two and did not qualify for the playoffs.
Smuts pointed out that it was an extremely tough tournament with small margins. A six off the penultimate ball of the round robin match between the Redbacks and Bangalore, saw Bangalore progress through to the playoffs. However had the Redbacks won, Bangalore would have finished last in their pool. But, according to Smuts, the tough nature of the tournament is beneficial for players because “you get to test yourself against some of the world’s best players.”
Smuts’s bowling also played a part, as skipper Johan Botha made use of his tidy left-arm spinners on the slow Indian tracks. Smuts believes that adaptation is the key in modern day cricket. He says that you need to be flexible in different situations and must be able to bat or bowl wherever it best suits the team.
A positive CLT20 has put Smuts and his team in a good position for the upcoming domestic season. Smuts is hoping that the Warriors can win at least one trophy and that they are aiming to improve their standing in the SuperSport Series, an area in which the Warriors have been inconsistent over the past few seasons.
Smuts will captain the Warriors in this weekend’s four-day SuperSport Series match against the Cobras in East London. An injury to regular captain Davy Jacobs and national call-ups for Johan Botha and Colin Ingram has opened the door for the former Graeme 1st XI skipper.
“It is an honour and a privilege, I have always enjoyed captaining,” said the 23 year-old. Despite his young age, Smuts and his team mates have faith in his ability to lead the side. He will also be well supported on the field by the experienced heads of Ashwell Prince and Arno Jacobs.
Smuts is adamant that he will stay with the successful Warriors franchise. “I am an Eastern Cape boy, I want to stay here for a long time.”
Smuts will also be playing alongside his younger brother Kelly. “It’s nice being on the field with someone that knows you and your game so well” said Smuts.
The Warriors are a strong set-up and now boast four Grahamstonians in their SuperSport Series starting line-up with Michael Price and Andrew Birch (formerly of St Andrew’s College) playing alongside the Smuts brothers.
