Hoërskool Noordheuwel cricket star JJ Basson has made a memorable entry into first-class cricket, taking 11 wickets in his debut match for the DP World Lions against Dafabet Boland On Friday, September 10.

The 18-year-old took 7/62 in the first innings before taking 4/37 in the second, ending with match figures of 11/99. The performance set a new record for the best debut bowling figures by a Lions player.

“It’s really special. It’s something that I didn’t see happening in my debut match, but I’m really proud of myself for managing to accomplish it and perform so well for the team,” said Basson.

Basson said he was not tracking his personal wicket count during the match, focusing instead on team requirements.

“It’s definitely a bit of a shock taking 11 wickets on debut, and to be quite honest, I was never looking at the wicket column during the innings,” he said. “For me, the biggest thing was making sure I did my best to contribute to the team and do what the team needed. Whether that was taking wickets or bowling pressure, that was my main concern.”

• Also read: Paarl Royals bid R200k for Nories’ JJ

Basson first made headlines in July last year when he was selected for the Proteas U19 team that played in the three-match Youth One Day International series at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, and the tri-series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

His performances attracted the Paarl Royals, who bought him for R200 000 during the SA20 auction held in Johannesburg in September last year. Initially unpicked across six teams, Basson was signed by the Royals during the express round when more than 60 players were re-auctioned.

Lions look for first victory

The defending champions are in Bloemfontein to face the newly promoted Flexbrands Knights when the second round of the red-ball competition gets underway on Thursday, with the Lions looking to secure their first win of the season after a stalemate with Dafabet Boland in Johannesburg.