There are quite a few thankless jobs to aspire to in South Africa, but few of those jobs come close to the role of spinner in the Proteas cricket team.
It often requires you to toil for long hours in the hot sun from one end, while the prized thoroughbred fast bowlers are rotated at the other end. Most times your contributions confined to a mere footnote as the speedsters hog the spotlight
But somebody has to do the job, and South Africa’s premier spinner Keshav Maharaj has over the years shown that he has the demeanour, physical ability and skill to do the dirty work for the team.
But in the recent Test series against the West Indies, Maharaj was more than just the sideshow, he was the main act, finishing the series as the leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps at an average of 16.08.
In the first Test Maharaj bowled an incredible 40 overs on the trot — albeit over two days because of the rain delays — in the first innings on a placid surface to finish with figures of 4/76. He then took another four-wicket haul in the second innings. Maharaj then claimed 3/8 and 3/37 in the second Test to bowl the South Africans to a series victory.
The 13 wickets in the series saw Maharaj go past Hugh Tayfield as South Africa’s most prolific spinner in Test cricket, taking his 171st scalp to secure the win in the second Test.
Coach Shukri Conrad described the understated Maharaj as “Mr Reliable” following his heroics in the Test series against West Indies.
“Keshav Maharaj is an absolute workhorse, an absolute professional. And he just keeps going. I am thrilled that he now holds that record, it’s richly deserved,” said Conrad.
“He is great in the changeroom, he is a great sounding board for players and coaches. A really good team guy that you can easily dub ‘Mr Reliable’, and you need people like that when you are transitioning.”
At 34 years old Maharaj, is still shining in all formats for the Proteas. It doesn’t look the “workhorse” is going to down tools and quit the thankless job any time soon.