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Kleinveldt Staying Grounded

Wednesday 8th October 2008

Fresh from being handed a call-up to the South African set-up, Rory Kleinveldt is under no illusions as to his position and points to a stint at Hampshire as a pivotal point in his development.

As a hard-hitting all-rounder, Kleinveldt has a game well suited to limited overs cricket. National selection has beckoned for some time, but when the moment arrived it certainly came as a surprise to the 25-year-old.

"It's definitely a a surprise, I got a call last night from Gerald and Mickey to say that I had been included in the Twenty20 side," Kleinveldt said. "I can't wait, I've been waiting six years for this."

Kleinveldt has begun the South African domestic season looking in peak physical shape, a noticeable change for a player who at times has been said to be carrying a bit too much bulk. While shedding the weight, he has pick up some invaluable tips.

"I spent a couple of months at Hampshire, in England. I only managed to play one game for them because I went over as a Kolpak player but then got called up for the ICC Champions Trophy squad. So I basically had to come back after two months. While I was there I did a lot of fitness work, I lost about 10 kgs.

"I learnt a hell of a lot while I was there. They have some good coaches over there. I learnt a lot from them.

"Two years ago [when I lost weight] I struggled with no-balls, and I think the best thing for me was that at Hampshire I got some out door training, out door nets, which helped a lot. While I was losing the weight I was training outdoors not indoors like I did when I was in Cape Town."

Looking toward a Twenty20 International debut against Bangladesh, Kleinveldt points out that he is focusing more on the bowling aspect of his game and the intricacies of Twenty20 cricket.

"I'm concentrating solely on my bowling at the moment, and if I can contribute in a positive way with the bat then so be it.

"[Twenty20] is a bit of a lottery, you have to work a lot on your skills, your different skills, you have to have lots of options.

"You can't stick to bowling line and length like you would in four-day cricket, you always have to have a change of pace and you have to be able to bowler a good yorker as well, so it is very skills orientated," he adds.

With the South Africans eagerly looking to fill the gaping whole that Shaun Pollock's retirement left in the team, the emergence of a new bowling all-rounder immediately draws comparisons with the legendary Pollock, an idea Kleinveldt is quick to dismiss.

"No, I don't want to be put in the same category as Shaun. He has done superbly for South African cricket for 10 years. I'm playing my first game on 5 November, so lets see how that goes," concludes Kleinveldt.

Julia Harris