Connor Esterhuizen not letting R3.2m price tag go to his head in the SA20
Pretoria Capitals’ R3.2 million SA20 signing Connor Esterhuizen says the hefty price tag won’t change his approach as he focuses on proving himself and improving across formats, especially in red-ball cricket. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
He may not have grabbed the headlines for his price tag like Dewald Brevis or Aiden Markram did, but Connor Esterhuizen was still one of the big-money buys at the SA20 auction.
Esterhuizen was snapped up by the Pretoria Capitals for R3.2 million last month.
The 24-year-old will no doubt have been buoyed by the sudden boost to his bank account, but now the focus for the youngster is on justifying his price tag.
The wicketkeeper-batsman says the money won’t change his approach.
Pretoria Capitals star focused on consistency after big-money SA20 deal
“I wouldn’t say it’s changed things for me. I’m really privileged and grateful to be in a position like this, where I do what I love for a living. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a toddler — to earn a good living and get picked up for that kind of money. I’m truly blessed,” Esterhuizen told SportsBoom.co.za.
Though Esterhuizen is still relatively new to top-level cricket, he has already played 24 T20s — 11 of those for MI Cape Town in the SA20 over the past two seasons.
In first-class cricket, Esterhuizen has featured in 15 matches to date, boasting an impressive batting average of 42, along with 53 catches and one stumping.
He revealed that he has felt more pressure to perform in the longest format of the game than in T20s recently.
Esterhuizen admits red-ball cricket brings more pressure than T20s
“I wouldn’t say there was more pressure on me because of the auction — rather because of my performances in red-ball cricket over the past two seasons. That was more the pressure: to put in a big performance in the format I may not have performed up to my capability in.
“It’s still a work in progress, and I’m constantly trying to figure it out and improve. Regardless of money or auctions, I always put pressure on myself to perform, because I have such high standards for myself and I know where I want to be and what I want to achieve.”