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Bloemfontein - Theunis de Bruyn says he was at a loss for words when he received the news that he had been added to the 13-man Proteas squad on Wednesday for the test series against Sri Lanka starting on 26 December.
The Knights captain says he was almost speechless when the call came for a possible test match debut.
“There weren’t a lot of words coming out of my mouth. It was mixed emotions, but I was extremely excited and very humbled by getting that call. It is something that you dream of since you started playing the game and it has become a reality now,” described De Bruyn.
Injuries to AB de Villiers and Rilee Rossouw opened the door for De Bruyn, who has already been capped several times for the SA ‘A’ side.
The 24-year-old knows that being called up into the squad is a major honour, although he may need to bide his time before earning that hallowed first test cap.
“There will come a time when it is time for me to play. I just need to make sure that I am ready and right when that opportunity comes. I am just taking it day-by-day and game-by-game, just improving myself all the time so when that chance comes I am 100 percent ready,” he added.
De Bruyn’s selection comes as a result of excellent form for both his Franchise and the SA ‘A’ side. To date, he has scored 2534 runs in 57 First-Class innings at an average of 48.73 with six hundreds and 14 fifties to his credit.
His highest score of 202 not out, came for the SA ‘A’ team against the England Lions in January 2015.
Having moved to the Knights from the Titans at the beginning of the season, De Bruyn currently lies in third place on the run scorers list for the Sunfoil Series competition with 423 runs in eight innings at an average of 64.09.
“It wasn’t easy leaving a Franchise as successful as the Titans, but to be given this leadership opportunity at a Franchise in a rebuilding phase was what I needed at this point in my career.
It was a hard decision to come to, but obviously looking at the way I have performed this season, that extra responsibility has been good for me,” explained the Knights skipper.
The mature and level-headed youngster has earned the right to receive a Proteas call-up having worked his way up through from the SA Under 19s, to Franchise cricket and the SA ‘A’ side.
Come the start of the first test against Sri Lanka at St George’s Park on Boxing Day, De Bruyn will be hoping to become the 329th man to play a test match for South Africa.
“It is a new level, new expectations and it has a different vibe to it. I am just looking forward to getting to Port Elizabeth, to meet all the guys and to get into that environment,” said De Bruyn.
Read the story on SuperSport.com
