Johannesburg – Beuran Hendricks has already made sure the success he enjoyed in his debut season of first-class cricket cannot be put down to chance.
The 23-year-old fast bowler claimed 35 scalps in seven four-day matches in the last series, to finish fifth on the list of wicket-takers as the Cobras cruised to the title in 2012/13.
It was a phenomenal return for someone playing his first proper season of franchise cricket, and it landed Hendricks a spot in the South Africa A side which took on Australia A and India A during the winter.
The left-armer duly produced his finest performance in the second 'Test' against an India A side boasting the likes of Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, when he claimed career-best figures of 11/63 under the watchful eye of Proteas head coach Russell Domingo.
However, the list of flash-in-the-pan fast bowlers in domestic cricket around the world is a long one, and so the importance of pushing on this season was not lost on Hendricks.
Although he suffered an injury during the Cobras' opening match of the One-Day Cup and did not play again in the competition, he worked his way back to full fitness in time for the start of the four-day series and immediately made his mark.
It took all of five deliveries for Hendricks to claim his first scalp as the Cobras kicked off their title defence against the Dolphins in Pietermaritzburg last Thursday, and he went on to record match figures of 9/75 as the Cobras won by an innings and 98 runs.
Titans captain Henry Davids said he barely recognised the bowler from his own time at the Cobras and looked forward to facing him on Thursday.
“He's improved a lot,” said Davids, who moved north in 2010.
“When I left the Cobras, Beuran had just started bowling in the nets and he's a totally different bowler now.
“He had a very good winter playing for South Africa A, taking wickets against India A and Australia A, which obviously gave him a lot of confidence.
“I think he's bowling the best of his career so far, so it's going to be a stiff ask for us.” – Sapa