Let’s celebrate, not shame heavies like Kleinveldt and Frylinck
These two stalwarts of domestic cricket don't always look the part but they're the guys that keep a creaking system competitive.
Rory Kleinveldt deserves respect for his professionalism, especially in the latter stages of his career. Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images.
Sport isn’t immune to body shaming.
You can be pretty sure fans have, at the very least, snickered when they’ve seen Rory Kleinveldt and Robbie Frylinck walking onto a cricket field.
That’s not even the worst thing about it.
Also read: Nine of the best as Kleinveldt and Levi deliver big performances
Because those two players are undeniably on the more hefty side, some people believe they shouldn’t be taken seriously as cricketers.
It’s the classic problem that plagued baseball scouting for decades: if a player doesn’t “look” like a player (streamlined and fit), you shouldn’t pick him.
Thankfully, this was a good week for that perception to be shattered … again.
On Wednesday, Kleinveldt wrote himself into the record books when he took an incredible 9/65 for English county Northamptonshire in their four-day match against Nottinghamshire.
For some it will be a freakish achievement, one that doesn’t reflect well on English cricket.
Loyal Northants and Cape Cobras fans will be smiling proudly.
The 34-year-old Kleinveldt’s career has had its hiccups.
He was probably never good enough to play Test cricket (he played in four) and was banned for smoking marijuana in early 2012.
However, when you look past all his flaws, Kleinveldt should be celebrated as one of South African cricket’s best servants.
In England, he’s an absolute cult hero for Northamptonshire for his dedication and determination.
He easily plays at least 50 games in all formats between Northants and the Cobras per season, a pretty big workload for a guy perceived as unfit.
And when you consider Kleinveldt’s taken 423 first-class wickets, that workload doesn’t put a drag on his performances.
This is the type of guy you want playing in your domestic structures: a solid performer that keeps the system competitive.
About 13 400km down south in Centurion, Frylinck continues to prove naysayers wrong.
Robbie Frylinck remains one of domestic cricket’s most underrated players. Photo: Carl Fourie/Gallo Images.
As the Titans breezed to 450 in the first innings against the Dolphins, Frylinck’s seamers brought him figures of 4/71.
In a mediocre Dolphins reply, he smashed a 57-ball 50.
Popular opinion is that Frylinck is a good T20 bowler, a crafty player with nice variations.
But ask the Highveld Lions and they’ll tell you he can be pretty unplayable against the red ball.
Last season, he took 14 wickets in a Sunfoil match against them (including 8/30) and 26 at an average of 17 over the course of the campaign.
He bowled more overs than any of his Dolphins teammates.
Again, Frylinck shouldn’t be overestimated as a player but he keeps the franchise system healthy.
They deserve huge respect for that.
Heinz Schenk: Online Sports Editor.
