Being mentioned in the same breath as Jacques Kallis may be “super special”, but Corbin Bosch still views bowling fast as his main role in any team for which he is selected.
Bosch joined Kallis on a list of four SA cricketers to score a century and take five wickets in an innings in the same Test.
The great all-rounder performed the feat twice.
“[Kallis] was pretty much the ‘goat’ [greatest of all time] in SA cricket. It is an honour to be mentioned in the same sentence as Jacques. It is super special,” Bosch said.
The 30-year-old, playing in just his second Test, scored an unbeaten 100 on the first day in Bulawayo and then claimed
5/43 in Zimbabwe’s second innings, helping the Proteas to a 328-run victory.
It’s been a whirlwind few months for Bosch, who went from making his ODI debut just before Christmas, to starting the Boxing Day Test, earning an Indian Premier League contract and then being included in the squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
“I was speaking to my mom the other day and saying, I need to pinch myself that everything is real. I've had a magical few months,” Bosch said. “I’ve played some really good cricket, I’ve surrounded myself with some pretty good people who have guided me and pushed me, even when times were tough.
“I knew that eventually when the opportunity came I would grab it with both hands and fortunately for me, the rub of the green has gone my way so far, and hopefully it will continue.”
Bosch had a stunning introduction to Test cricket, dismissing Pakistan captain Shan Masood with his first ball at SuperSport Park last summer.
After taking 4/63, he then smashed an unbeaten 81 off only 93 balls. His statistics after two Tests are surreal, a batting average of 108.50 and a bowling average of 19.50.
Despite his success with the bat, Bosch remains clear about what his main role is.
“I love my batting, but my DNA is fast bowling. As much as I enjoy batting, I love bowling that much more.”
Though Bosch has certainly made an impact in the two matches he has played, he’s not guaranteed a starting spot when front-line players such as Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen return.
“We are in a fortunate position, that there is good and healthy competition in SA,” Bosch said. “It forces the guys at the top to be at their best. I don’t know where I stand in the pecking order. But that doesn’t bother me, if I represent my country I will give it my best.”
He told coach Shukri Conrad during the SA training camp at Arundel before the WTC final that he wanted to make his job as hard as possible when it came to selection.
Though Bosch didn’t start at Lord’s he had several stints in the field, and getting to watch up close how some of the best players performed under pressure was inspirational.
“Being able to watch the guys live, a lot of the time you get fooled by what you see on TV, but watching people operate in person makes you appreciate how good people really are,” Bosch said.
“Watching at Lord’s inspired me; watching KG [Radaba] and the Australian bowlers and how they went about their business was incredibly special.
“It made me realise how good these guys really are, competing with the best in the world. It made me believe that, cool, that’s where I aspire to be in my cricket career.”
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