JJ Basson admits to surprise meteoric start to first class cricket

Basson took a total of 11 wickets as his team faced Defabet Boland in Johannesburg in the first round of the rebranded 1st Class Series, with seven of those coming in the first innings alone.

He says while he wasn’t really concerned about the amount of wickets he’d take, it’ll give him a boost going forward this season.

"I think it's really special. It is something I didn't see happening on my debut. But I am really proud of myself for what I accomplished and for performing so well for the team. I am definitely looking to take this confidence from this match into the next matches of my career," said Basson.

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"Look, it's definitely a little bit of a shock to take 11 in a debut match. To be quite honest, I was never really looking at the wicket column during the innings. For me, the biggest thing was to do my best, to contribute to the team , and to do what the team needs, whether that be taking wickets or building pressure; that was my main concern. But it's definitely a shock or a proud moment that I did take 11 wickets."

The 18-year-old says making his first class debut with the Lions badge makes the achievement all the more special to him, and also admitted that he was nervous before the match. On whether he feels the pressure to keep the standards going forward, he believes there’s enough senior players in the side to seek advice from whenever he gets overwhelmed.

The Noordheuwel matric pupil has been working with Lions bowling coach Allan Donald for a while now, and says the former South Africa international has had a huge influence on him.

AD himself has sang Basson’s praises, even comparing him to a young Kagiso Rabada.