Photo Credit: SA20 League
Every young cricketer dreams of playing on the same stage as their childhood heroes.
Imagine the excitement then when the opportunity arises to share the same change room.
That’s the luck that befell Betway SA20 Rookie Bryce Parsons when he joined Durban’s Super Giants for Season 2.
Parsons, 23, was so excited that he even posted a picture of himself whilst still a little boy alongside then Proteas fast bowler Morne Morkel followed by him receiving his first DSG shirt from the now Super Giants bowling coach.
It is experiences like these that are priceless for Rookies such as Parsons. The opportunity to have access to greats of the game like Morkel and furthermore tap into the vast knowledge of global superstars such as Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen and Nicholas Pooran.
“It was a great experience for the young guys like me even though I didn’t get a game,” Parsons said.
“A lovely experience to rub shoulders with some of the greats of the game. Lots of learnings took place.
“It gave me a lot of confidence to take into the rest of the season.”
Despite not getting on the park due to the power-packed DSG batting unit, the former SA U19 captain worked closely with Proteas legend and DSG head coach Lance Klusener.
“Zulu is very chilled down to earth man. He lets you go about your business the way you want to go about it,” Parsons said.
“He has his team talks but not many. It was a calm and chilled environment. That’s something I have tried to lean on in these couple of four-day games.
“Going about things the way you want to go about things, and not necessarily the way people have always told you. That’s what I took from him.
“It was a perfect set up for a Durban side. Lots of chilled vibes. And I am a very chilled guy. He’s not as intense as some people and that suited me.”
Parsons has certainly taken the lessons on board and implemented it in his game immediately. In his first match back for the Dolphins after returning from Betway SA20 duty, the attacking left-hander clubbed a career-best 191 off 179 balls (25×4, 4×6) in a CSA 4-Day First-Class fixture.
He shared a mammoth 293-run partnership with fellow DSG star Jon-Jon Smuts (156).
“It (SA20) gave me the confidence that I belong in the professional environment,” he said.
“My first couple of years I felt like I was still finding my feet, but SA20 gave me that extra confidence. I didn’t feel like I had that in my first two seasons, but coming back from that I felt like I could dominate and hold my own.”
Parsons will not be eligible as a Rookie in Season 3, and has therefore set his sights on performing in the upcoming CSA T20 Challenge in order to attract a bid in the next auction.
“I am not looking too far ahead, but I can’t be a rookie again. That has come and gone,” he said.
“So, I will need to be on top of my game in the T20 challenge if I am going to convince anyone to raise their paddle for me in the future.”
Name of Author: SA20 League
SA20, officially known as the Betway SA20 for sponsorship reasons, is a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in South Africa organized by Cricket South Africa (CSA). First held in the 2023 season, the league features six city-based teams. Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the first two editions of the tournament.
