AFTER 1 235 days of waiting for an opportunity to play for South Africa again, George Linde’s heart must have skipped a beat when he walked out of the hotel in Durban on Tuesday – only to see the team bus making its way to Kingsmead for the first of three T20Is against Pakistan.
“For some reason, my phone was 15 minutes behind, so I thought to myself, ‘Okay, at four o’clock, I’m going to walk down. I’m going to get on the bus nice and early’.
“And then as I got out, there’s the bus leaving. That feeling was not great,” Linde told the media after the match.
“Luckily there was a police escort, and they took me to the bus. Actually, no one realised I was not on the bus, which was quite cool because they thought I was on the bus. It was embarrassing.”
That was the last bit of panic Linde had on his return to international cricket, as he went on to dominate Pakistan with a match-winning performance – including a 24-ball 48 with the bat and 4/21 with ball in hand – as he drove the Proteas to an 11-run victory.
For a player who had almost been forgotten, without any viable reason, it was one hell of a statement to make.
However, it was a well-deserved call-up, given that the slow left-arm orthodox has been in good knick in domestic cricket for Western Province this season.
Now he will hope to kick on in the second T20I against Pakistan in Centurion tomorrow (6pm start).
“I’ve been through a tough time, but the last year has been really good. I feel like I do deserve this opportunity,” he said.
“I’ve been playing good cricket this whole season. I felt I did not have to prove anything to anyone. I know how hard I worked for this opportunity to come.”
As Pieter Malan said on his Test debut almost five years ago, “International cricket is a privilege. Pressure is fighting for your career in empty stadiums in domestic cricket”, it must have also been tough for Linde to wait his turn as the Proteas seemed to have completely moved on from him.
One could easily feel his pain as he battled in his attempt to describe how he has been able to hold on these past three years, and finally come back to remind the country and the world of his potential as an all-rounder.
“I did struggle for a year or two. But ja, it was.. it was one of those things,” said Linde.
“Luckily I had a nice long break away from cricket in the winter – for like six months – just to get away from the game.
“I do think that helped me a lot, because it brought that fire again.
“I’ve always had the hopes of coming back to the Proteas, but if it wasn’t the case, then it wasn’t the case.
“I did give myself the best shot – in training in pre-season, in gym work and everything to train and come back. If it didn’t happen, so be it. I’m still proud of my career.”