SA fast bowler Gideon Peters, famed for 140km/h+ speeds, is training with the Delhi Capitals in the IPL. Once a promising rugby player, Peters was convinced to pursue cricket by mentor Cobus Pienaar, marking a pivotal turn in his career.
South African fast bowler Gideon Peters famed for his consistent 140km/hour plus deliveries, is now taking the next step in his career after being called up to train with the Delhi Capitals in this season's IPL.
It is natural for the Pretoria youngster to harbour ambitions of emulating Naas Botha, Derick Hougaard, Morne Steyn, and current Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard- demigods of rugby in Pretoria. However, the Pretoria Capitals - and now IPL team, Delhi Capitals - have a certain Cobus Pienaar to thank for convincing fast bowler Gideon Peters that it was a far better idea to hurt batters with 140km/h-plus deliveries than to be battered by giant loose forwards on the rugby field.
The Pivotal Role of a Mentor
The SA20, a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in South Africa details how the 26-year-old Peters happened to land in the IPL. The Director of Cricket at Peters' alma mater, the Waterkloof High School in Pretoria, happens to be the nephew of former Proteas fast bowler Fanie de Villiers. The pair crossed paths during Peters' Grade 11 year, shortly after Pienaar had completed a distinguished provincial career with Northerns, who are based at the Pretoria Capitals' home ground, Centurion.
Peters was playing both cricket and rugby at the time, but had progressed further in the contact sport, having already represented the Blue Bulls in age-group teams. However, despite Peters suffering from injuries back then already, Pienaar realised that the young tearaway had a unique gift: he could bowl fast - really fast!
"I finished with the [Northerns] Titans as a player and started at Waterkloof. He was 0basically in Grade 11 when I took over the cricket programme," Pienaar told SA20, according to a press release. "He had a strong rugby background and was in the Blue Bulls setup as well. He played fullback or wing in the outside backs. His feet were always magic. He was very good on the attack and obviously good under the high ball because of his cricket background," he said.
Pienaar detailed that in cricket, though, Peters was a bit injury-prone. "We modified and streamlined a couple of things with him. From there, he started doing very well. He played for the [Northerns] U19 side [and earned SA Colts recognition in 2017], and that was basically when he realised there was career potential after school," he said.
"In his last year, he still played both rugby and cricket, but he leaned more towards cricket. I knew straight away he had an X-factor. He was hot property because he always had the ability to bowl 140 clicks an hour. He also had a bit of a temper and wouldn't back down from a challenge. Furthermore, he had a big heart and always possessed a fighting instinct," Pienaar said.
Harnessing Raw Talent
This highly competitive spirit had to be channelled in the right direction, though, and this is where Pienaar's role as an early mentor was vital to Peters' development. "He had to fit into the system and understand that the team and the programme were bigger than the individual. That's sometimes the biggest challenge for youngsters who are highly talented. I think he bought into the way I see cricket and his development," Pienaar said.
"Since then, we have had a very strong relationship with a lot of mutual respect. Once he realised that the team was bigger than the individual, he progressed quickly. He's been a great guy, and the other players enjoy having him in the team environment."
Overcoming Injury Hurdles
Peters has had to overcome numerous obstacles to get to where he is today. Being able to bowl fast came with several challenges, as his fragile body has been through various tests just to keep him in the park. Although the 26-year-old has charged in for the Capitals across two SA20 seasons, claiming 13 wickets at an average of 21.84, he has hardly played any cricket in between due to injuries. It is only recently that the pace spearhead has been able to put together a string of matches for his domestic team, the Warriors. This bodes well for his future, especially after receiving a maiden call-up to the Proteas ODI squad for the tour to Pakistan at the beginning of the year.
Pienaar believes that with the correct management and bowling workload, the best of Peters is still to come. "His hamstring was a bit of an issue at the time when I started there," he said. "As well as his glutes and lower back. "But he is very, very strong, and obviously well-built. Players with larger muscle mass can sometimes be more susceptible to injuries. In terms of management, he's got quite a strong base to bowl from, which can really help delay those issues. He is a very hard worker, too.
"He's really aware of that. Over the last couple of years, he had strange niggles - bone breaks in his landing foot - things you can't really control or manage as such. But I don't think he's a guy who needs to bowl too much outside of actual competition. That's the way you need to streamline and manage him."
Ready for the Big Stage
With Peters taking the next step in his career after being called up to train with the Capitals in this season's IPL, Pienaar is confident his protege can be an asset to any team he plays for. "He possesses a fierce competitiveness. He's always up for the challenge, and he wants to break games open," he said.
"The pace he generates in T20 cricket is quite special. He has the ability to break games open, and that's exactly what he's shown over the last few seasons when given the opportunity."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)