His positive attitude towards batting and his form in the white ball format last season thrilled North West Dragons spectators and made them sit up and take notice of opening batsman, Wesley Marshall.
In only his first season at the Dragons, Marshall (28) has quickly established himself at the top of the order as a hard-hitting batsman with a see ball, hit ball approach. He was duly awarded with the NW Dragons Batsman of the Year award on Friday, 9 September at the 2021/22 awards function.
Photos: Wouter Pienaar
“I am really happy to win the award. It’s always a nice feeling when all the work that went into last season is appreciated. However, I feel like there’s still a lot of room for improvement which I’ll be looking to be better this season,” he said.
One of his highlights this past year was the white ball tournaments where the Dragons featured prominently.
In the CSA T20 Provincial Cup, the team had a no-result against the eventual champions the Knights, due to rain. Marshall averaged 32.50 with the bat and hit a top score of 73.
“It was our first tournament (in 2021) to showcase who we are as the Dragons and we had set a really good tone for the season at that tournament and had the rain not interrupted I’m sure we would have had a trophy in our cabinet,” Marshall explains.
“The vibe of the team and the chemistry between a completely new team was nice to be a part of. It felt like it was just 14 good mates on tour having fun and doing what we love well.”
His form in the 50-over One Day Cup, was also a huge positive. He scored 164 runs at an average of 54.66, a strike rate of close to 90 and a high score of 73.
Marshall might have likened the white ball campaigns due to the team performing better, but he still contributed in the longer format hitting five half-centuries and a top score of 97 against the Warriors. He also averaged 38 across 13 innings.
“There will be a big emphasis on our 4-day campaign this season after a disappointing one last year, we have identified our areas of concern as a team and we look forward to the opportunity to rectify those mistakes for the coming season,” he stated.
Marshall moved to the North West Dragons at the start of the new domestic structure in 2021. He explains that moving from the Lions was a smooth experience and that he fitted in easily in Potch.
“I have a good group of mates here so it makes this easier and also just being a hour and a half from Johannesburg, it’s easy to get back there to see the family.”
On the field, Marshall sees himself as the player who can win games for his team from the start. His natural aggression as a batsman can give the Dragons an advantage from early on.
“What I enjoy most about opening the batting is the fact that I get to set the tone for the team and grab the game by the scruff of the neck. I also enjoy the competitiveness of being up against a bowler with a new ball trying to do the same thing for their team,” he enthused.
Next on the horizon for Marshall is the T20 Cup that kick off in October.
“Goals for the T20 competition is just to win games for my team and bring back some silverware for the union. On the field I’m quite a fiery competitive guy but still try to not forget why we started playing this game and that’s because it is fun. So I’m always up for a joke and laugh, off the field I’m very laid back,” he added.
NW Dragons supporters will want to see that fire on the field when Marshall takes to the crease in an all-important 2022/23 season in division 1.
“I want to try and be the best cricketer that I can be. It motivates me to play at the highest level possible. The feeling of accomplishment individually and in a team setting when all the hard work pays off is incredible.”
