Patient Kuhn gets rewarded
"I believe everything happens for a reason, and maybe five years ago wasn’t my time," Kuhn said ahead of his Proteas Test debut.
Multiply Titans batsman, Heino Kuhn, made his long-awaited test debut on Thursday’s test match between the Proteas and England.
The 33-year-old Pretoria-based opener has waited over 13 years for his maiden test call-up.
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He has been knocking on the door since 2007 when he was the second highest run scorer in the 2006-07 SuperSport Series with 776 runs at an average of 48.50. This tally included an innings of 216 against the Dolphins.
At that time, Proteas had Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie as openers, while the likes of AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla occupied third, fourth and fifth batting positions.
His chances of breaking into the team were very slim especially with the likes of Justin Kemp and Herschelle Gibbs still in contention.
Kuhn continued to show good form and was finally rewarded when he made his official Proteas debut during a T20 international match against England at his home ground.
After playing a handful of T20 internationals, he was dropped as his style of batting was suited for test cricket.
As years went by, his teammate Faf du Plessis became part of the Proteas set-up, while Kuhn continued to lead the Titans to success.
In the 2015/16 Sunfoil Series, he became the sixth South African player to score 1 000 runs in a single first-class season.
He was then recalled to the T20 squad where he opened the batting with Jon Jon Smuts in a three match series against Sri Lanka.
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Heino Kuhn makes Test debut; Joe Root officially takes over from Alastair Cook
Let the Root era begin #ENGvSA https://t.co/u0tiZGC93d
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) July 6, 2017
Following his impressive form with the SA ‘A’ side, Kuhn finally got his breakthrough when he was included in the Proteas’ 15-man squad to tackle England.
Kuhn’s teammate Albie Morkel was overjoyed about Kuhn’s inclusion in the Proteas’ side.
“Kuhn was always known as an attacking player but his defensive lapses might have caused his undoing early in his career. The changes that Kuhn made to his game, including straightening his defensive work, has led to become such a prolific run-scorer the past two seasons,” he said on the Titans website.
In a statement with Cricket SA, Kuhn said he was just happy to be representing his country.
“I have matured a lot over the years as a batter and as a cricketer. I believe everything happens for a reason, and maybe five years ago wasn’t my time. I’m happy to be here and I’m looking forward to this challenge,” he said.
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Super super suuuper happy and excited for @HeinoKuhn for making his Test debut!
Not only an awsum player but a great human being too! 💪
— Tabraiz Shamsi (@shamsi90) July 6, 2017
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