WATCH: Simelane ready to shine like a diamond for Sunrisers
The geological explanation for a rough diamond tells a unique story of how its surface bears the marks of its creation journey. Its raw, uncut appearance has a particular draw, evoking a sense of connection to the Earth's geological processes.
From a cricket perspective, there could not be a more apt description of Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Proteas all-rounder Andile Simelane.
Just 21, Simelane is far from the polished stone which glitters all the time. But he has all the attributes that could potentially make him a national treasure sooner rather than later. And he too has travelled a unique path from humble beginnings to get to force his way into the SA20 shop window, which all started with a love for a popular fried chicken outlet.
“One of my friends in Grade 3 introduced me to cricket. We were in the classroom and he told me about this sport. Obviously, I didn’t know what it was at the time,” Simelane exclusively told Independent Media, ahead of the SA20 clash against Pretoria Capitals at St George’s Park on Wednesday night.
“I wasn’t keen. And then he told me we’re getting KFC, and I thought if we’re getting free food, I’ll just come, because everyone loves free food, especially KFC.
“I like dunked wings by the way! (laughs out loud) So, when I went there for free KFC, one of the coaches saw that I had some talent and things happened from there.”
Simelane has travelled a long path since those early days in Kwamashu, KwaZulu-Natal. A naturally-gifted athlete, it was clear that Simelane possessed the “X-factor”, which earned him a bursary to high school.
It was at this juncture that Simelane’s path changed rapidly. Adapting to hostel life at the prestigious Maritzburg College – alma mater of former England maverick Kevin Pietersen, Paarl Royals captain David Miller and Springbok World Cup-winning flyhalves Joel Stransky and Butch James – from Mpumelelo Primary School was an immense challenge, but Simelane was determined to make the most of his opportunity.
Despite facing significant peer pressure Simelane kept his nose out of trouble, worked hard on his academics which he admits was a challenge, and trained even harder utilising College’s excellent facilities which he could only dream of growing up.
The rewards came in the form of selection for the KwaZulu-Natal youth teams before earning a ticket to the West Indies for the 2022 ICC U19 World Cup with the Junior Proteas.
It was in the Caribbean where Simelane teamed up with fellow SA20 rising stars Dewald Brevis and Kwena Maphaka under the tutorship of now Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad.
Maphaka was very much the baby of the squad at 15-years-old, but Simelane could see back then already that the rookie possessed something special.
“I met Kwena when we were together at the U19 World Cup. He was still young … wait … he is still young! (laughs out loud again).
“When I met him I saw some talent there. I remember having a conversation with him about not getting gametime and all of that. I kept telling him he’s here to grow and upgrade his game.
“And the way we were chatting, I could see that was something special. Obviously now, he has pace. Back then he didn’t have pace. But he was someone who has lots of talent.”
Simelane and Maphaka’s paths crossed again recently. Only now it was in the big time under the bright lights of international cricket as they teamed up together for the Proteas Men’s T20I side against Pakistan at Kingsmead.
By then Simelane had already had a taste of international cricket after debuting against T20 world champions India before his friends and family at the same ground a month earlier.
“Playing for the Proteas was something special for me,” he said.
“It was something I’ve wanted ever since I was a kid and started enjoying the game. Like I said earlier, I didn’t know it was a sport that you could make a career from.
“It was awesome. Life-changing.”
It was a baptism of fire for Simelane, especially against India’s IPL-packed super batting unit. But Simelane showed that he not only had the skill to strike back, but more importantly had the temperament and character to learn from each experience.
He openly admits that his game is still very much “work in progress” which is why he’ll patiently wait for that opportunity to debut for the Sunrisers in SA20.
In the interim, Simelane will continue to do the hard work behind the scenes, absorbing as much information from Proteas legend and Sunrisers bowling coach Dale Steyn, to ready himself for when the moment to don the orange shirt eventually does arise.
“When I go to training I am always looking to challenge myself, not just going to training, but always asking questions from (Sunrisers captain) Aiden (Markram), Dale and others," he said.
“There are lots of things that I still have to learn from the game. Dale and I are always working on my bowling. He teaches me a lot of things. He’s working on getting me to swing the ball more.”
Simelane’s time may not be right now. But such shining talents are hard to ignore for too long.