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Cape Town - Border all-rounder, Aya Gqamane, is hoping to use the upcoming Africa T20 Cup as a springboard to regain the impressive form that only a couple years ago saw him gain selection for the SA ‘A’ team.
Gqamane, who will return to cricket after an eight-month spell on the sidelines due to a shoulder injury, is excited to get back on the park and test his shoulder in the heat of match intensity.
“I am looking forward to playing again,” said Gqamane. “The Africa T20 Cup is a really exciting tournament to start off the season. I have been out of cricket for a long time after my shoulder operation during last season, so I’ve been working hard in the gym and been training a lot to get myself ready for this tournament.
“It will give me a chance to test the shoulder. A lot of the guys are already talking about the Africa T20 Cup, with a lot of banter going around as it’s a great opportunity for a lot of the amateur players to play for higher stakes.”
Gqamane burst on to the domestic franchise scene in the 2012/13 season when a couple of impressive performances for the Warriors saw him gain the attention of the national selectors. Higher recognition of his talents came via selection to the SA Invitational squad to play Pakistan in 2013 and also the SA Emerging squad which played in a triangular series against Namibia and the Netherlands in Windhoek.
The accolades continued for the young man from Mdingi as he played in a couple of limited-overs matches for the SA ‘A’ team against India ‘A’ and Australia ‘A’ that same year.
Gqamane is also known for his ability to hit the yorker length with accuracy, especially during the death overs of a T20 match. Although short in stature, the 26-year-old is able to generate good pace with his skiddy deliveries and often surprises batsmen.
“I am hoping all the gym work I’ve done will get me back to where I need to be. But there’s nothing better than testing it out in the middle,” added Gqamane.
