Young fast bowler Akhona Mnyaka wants to learn as much as possible to improve his game as he prepares to suit up for Eastern Province when the new domestic cricket season gets under way.
The former Cape Cobras left-arm paceman is looking forward to feeding off the knowledge and experience of more senior statesmen in the squad.
“After speaking to the coach, I was quite excited to join.
“I was attracted by the goals they set for themselves, how they want to build and move forward as a squad,” the 21-year-old said when asked what drew him to the offer from EP.
“Obviously one day I want to play for the Proteas, but it will come down to me and how hard I work for it.
“As a cricketer, you are always learning, so I want to learn as much as possible, improve my skills and at the end of the day, that would be the only way that I will grow even more as a player,” he said.
Raised in East London and schooled at Hudson Park High, Mnyaka was fresh out of school when he was offered the chance to join the Cobras, a decision he took with the aim of taking his career to new heights.
“I am very excited to be coming back here to play my cricket.
“I grew up in East London but left for the Western Cape straight after school.
“It was always a dream of mine to represent the Warriors, and while I never got that opportunity, I am really pleased to be back here and can’t wait to get out there and play,” he said earlier this week.
A Border age-group representative before moving further up the coast to the Cobras, Mnyaka was thrust into franchise cricket quite early on in his career.
“Playing franchise cricket at such an early age was interesting for me, coming straight out of school, having only played at under-19 level.
“I had to learn very quickly and adapt to the level of cricket that was being played — there was not a lot of time for me to get used to playing at that level,” the former SA U19 representative said.
Mnyaka, who has played only four first-class matches in his career, to go along with 25 appearances in white-ball cricket, said his new team was brimming with talented individuals who were capable of putting in match- winning performances when needed and he also wanted to contribute to that.
“I think it is a very well-balanced squad.
“Everyone brings their own set of skills to the team.
“We have experienced players around.
“Having played against some of them [in the franchise system], you know what they can do, so coming in with my own skillset and just adding to the team dimension is something I am really looking forward to.”
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