De Bruyn on fire ahead of Cup semifinal
He is part of a team which includes players with international experience, yet Gauteng allrounder Zander de Bruyn has been one of those who has regularly caught the eye in his province's march towards the domestic "double".
De Bruyn is once again expected to be a key figure in Friday's Standard Bank Cup third-leg semifinal against Eastern Province at the Wanderers (4pm) as Gauteng bid to add the one-day trophy to the SuperSport Series title they won earlier this summer.
The 25-year-old RAU allrounder was not a regular member of the Gauteng side during the first-class campaign, in spite of consistently good performances for his club side week in and week out, but he has established himself as a vital cog in the province's one-day lineup.
"I was disappointed to have only played three out of the 10 four-day matches," said De Bruyn. "It is hard to make an impact when you are in and out of a side, but our captain, Clive Eksteen, told me I was very much part of Gauteng's plans for the one-dayers.
"I was always happy enough with my batting, but I knew I had to work hard to improve my bowling. I didn't want to be going for six or seven runs an over, which would put extra pressure on me to make runs."
His approach worked and De Bruyn, who is also an excellent fielder, has emerged as one of Gauteng's star performers in the limited-overs competition this season, scoring 325 runs at an average of 40,63 and capturing 13 wickets at 23,69 apiece. Just as importantly, he is conceding 4,89 runs an over compared to a career figure of 5,21, a clear indication that he has tightened things up this season.
He also puts a lot of thought into his bowling and is one of few players that uses the one bouncer per over rule to good effect, sending down the permitted short-pitched delivery in each over he bowls.
"I have always had a fairly decent bouncer and I am naturally very aggressive when I am bowling. Our coach Rodney Ontong stressed the importance of taking full advantage of the bouncer rule and it has worked pretty well for me this season," said De Bruyn.
The fact that he is now an automatic choice in the Gauteng one-day side has enabled de Bruyn to relax and enjoy his cricket, something which comes through on the field.
"It's all about pressure, or, rather, the lack of it," he explained.
"If you know you've been performing well and have cemented your spot in the side, you feel far more relaxed and that enables you to enjoy your cricket. That is what has happened to me."
Former Gauteng captain Ken Rutherford, who worked tirelessly for four years to mould a young, inexperienced side into one capable of challenging for titles, is credited with much of the team's success this season and, like so many of his teammates, De Bruyn would like nothing better than to win the "double" for the Kiwi.
"Ours was a young side when he took charge and initially we had a tendency to fold if Ruds failed to score runs, which wasn't too often. But we all learnt a lot from him and the youngsters are now all chipping in.
"He has meant such a lot to us and it would be a fitting tribute to him if we could capture the double," said De Bruyn.
Teams
Gauteng: Adam Bacher, Andrew Hall, Ken Rutherford, Zander de Bruyn, Geoff Toyana, Nic Pothas, Dean Laing, Clive Eksteen (capt), Neil Fusedale, Kenny Benjamin, David Terbrugge. 12th man: Graeme Smith.
Eastern Province: Carl Bradfield, Mark Benfield, Kevin Duckworth, Dave Callaghan, Mark Rushmere, Justin Kemp, Murray Creed, Wayne Murray, Meyrick Pringle, Garnett Kruger, Mfuneko Ngam. 12th man: Robin Peterson.