Beuran Hendricks excited to play under Faf du Plessis in the SA20

Having been released by MI Cape Town only to miss out on being recruited at the SA20 auction earlier this year, seamer Beuran Hendricks is excited to be a part of the Faf du Plessis-led Joburg Super Kings after being announced as the replacement for the injured Nandre Burger.

HOW THE CALL-UP HAPPENED

The SA20 has breathed life into cricket in South Africa over the past two years starting from the inaugural season in 2023 through to this year’s campaign.

The tournament has saved the game in the country as it has generated a lot of financial muscle for a sport that had been operating at a loss for several years.

The SA20 brought a massive financial boost for the sport, the governing body Cricket South Africa and the players and coaches alike.

However, the impact of the tournament has been felt mostly by the fans as the competition has revamped the love and passion of the fans all around South Africa.

Since its inception, the stadiums have been packed and the energy and atmosphere at the venues have been electric.

This has made all local and international players interested in taking part in the competition.

Having been part of the tournament through the MI Cape Town team for the past two seasons, seamer Beuran Hendricks was released by the team and went on to miss out on the auction that was held in Cape Town earlier this year.

However, with another left-arm seamer in Nandre Burger being injured and ruled out of next year’s season of the SA20, Hendricks has found himself back in the tournament once again as he received a call-up as Burger’s replacement in the Joburg Super Kings team at the Wanderers Stadium.

Hendricks told SportsBoom that he initially received a message from Albie Morkel who is part of the Joburg Super Kings coaching staff and then the manager of the team confirmed later that day that he was going to replace Burger next year.

“I got a message from Albie Morkel just to check my availability and see if my body is in good shape,” Hendricks told SportsBoom in an exclusive interview.

“I was kind of unaware that it was an SA20 call and then I got a call from the manager of the Joburg Super Kings to tell me that they are looking at me as a replacement for Nandre. He called a little bit later that day as well (to confirm). That’s how it came about.

“I’ve been part of the SA20 for the past two seasons and it was a good standard of cricket. The stadiums were packed every game. It’s exciting to be a part of it again. Obviously, it’s a change of team now having been with MI Cape Town.”

PLAYING UNDER FAF AT SECOND HOME

Hendricks currently plays for Western Province at Newlands in Cape Town where his professional career began over a decade ago.

He then moved up country to the Highveld where he joined the Johannesburg-based Lions team where he made the Wanderers Stadium his second home for many years before he packed his bags for Cape Town a few seasons back.

Hendricks is excited to make the move up the country once again to join the Joburg Super Kings next year. 

Moreover, the 34-year-old is looking forward to playing under captain Faf du Plessis again, the man who led the Proteas Test team on his debut four years ago at the Wanderers.

“To change teams now and be with a big franchise like the Joburg Super Kings is also quite exciting and I’ve been at the Wanderers before. I’ve spent a lot of time there in my career so I’m happy to be going back to my second home,” said Hendricks.

“I’m going to the Wanderers where I’ve had a lot of success over the years, and I’ll take a lot of confidence of going up north again and being at my second home. It’s quite refreshing and exciting for me to go up there.

“There’s definitely a lot of fond memories up there. Also, with Faf as a leader, I’ve always enjoyed playing under him, and playing with him so that’s also going to be exciting to be with him again. I started my international career with him being the captain and I find myself with him again so it’s quite exciting.”

The SA20 will get underway on 9 January 2025 with two-time champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, taking on MI Cape Town at St George's Park Cricket Stadium in Port Elizabeth.