'Pinch me' moment for Player of the Series Connor Esterhuizen as Proteas win in Aotearoa

It was the second ball of the last over. Ben Sears had been fairly economical up until that point.

The Kiwi fast bowler had run in and hit hard lengths. Here, he was attempting another one. But on this occasion, Connor Esterhuizen was standing deep in his crease, before standing tall and depositing the ball over extra-cover for six.

There are moments in any young batter’s career that he reaches the point where he finally feels that he belongs at the highest level. After debuting in this T20I series, 24-year-old Esterhuizen had now attained his during the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand.

“It was just an instinct thing. I don't know how it happened, but it just was quite nice,” the Proteas batter would later say on Wednesday of the shot. 

“The pinch-me moments, when you sit back and have chats as a kid around the table and you dream about playing for your country, some guys get to go on and do it.

"I'm in a fortunate position where I can. I was that guy that us kids spoke about. So, it's a really special feeling, and quite humbling.”

Esterhuizen was the undoubted find of a series that even had coach Shukri Conrad questioning its value, but that ultimately delivered a promising top-order batter capable of also keeping wicket. 

The Proteas do admittedly have an abundance of those skills at their disposal in Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton and Lhuan-dre Pretorius — who were all absent from the New Zealand tour — but Esterhuizen also showed a gold-edged quality beyond his 200 runs at an average of 50 and strike-rate of 145.98.

He scored runs in each game the Proteas won — which was enough to edge the hosts 3-2 in the series — with the versatility to do so in three different positions.

In Game 1, Esterhuizen guided the Proteas home with an unbeaten 45 in a tricky run-chase when opening the batting at the Bay Oval. Two defeats later, and Esterhuizen was pushed down to No 3, and responded with 57 off 36 balls at strike rate of 158.33, to level up the series in Wellington. 

Batting at No 4, he kept his best for the series finale in Christchurch though with a 33-ball 75 — a strike rate of 227.27 — that helped the Proteas clinch their first away T20I series victory since August 2022. 

“I think from the first one (game), it was a bit of a graft. You have to keep the scoreboard ticking, maybe a few more dots. And you'd be used to T20 cricket, whereas here it was more free-flowing,” Esterhuizen, who was named Player of the Series, said.

“It felt like the ball travelled quite nicely, and the field was, the outfield was quick. So, it was a nice build-up. You have to be in strong positions, have a good technique.

“I also think the nice thing was I got to come in and play with some freedom. We got such a nice platform from the guys up top with wickets in hand. So, I got to come in and be free and express myself a little bit, which was quite nice.”

While both teams were admittedly not at full strength, the series victory was achieved under trying circumstances with the Proteas having to come back from 2-1, which showcased the young players’ character, according to stand-in captain Keshav Maharaj.

“It was a wonderful opportunity for these youngsters to understand what international cricket is about. I think coming here, not a lot of people gave us credit with the young side that we had, but to see the hunger, desire and passion which you know to come back from 2-1 and clinch the series is super special,” Maharaj said.

“It just shows the depth in our system and how well the youngsters are sort of putting their hands up. Like I said, I think going 2-1 down, probably not our best starting display, but to see the youngsters come through and put in two really good performances with the bat, I think as a captain, as a coaching staff, I think you can be really happy.”