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Stevie Eskinazi from Middlesex
Alex Davidson / Getty Images
- Stevie Eskinazi, who tops the scoring list in England’s T20 national competition, has roots in Johannesburg.
- He was born to a Zimbabwean father and an English mother … while educating himself in Australia.
- Experienced ex-Proteas off-roader David Wiese is putting a lot of pressure on him for the races recorded in the Vitality Blast.
Stevie who? Many South Africans would be excused for raising the question.
But it is worth knowing that, no matter how tenuous his ties, a 26-year-old Stevie eskinazi, current joint leading scorers in England’s Vitality Blast T20 competition, has at least a bit of Gautenger in him.
The wicketkeeper / right-handed hitter (Middlesex) shares the statistical accolade with England veteran Luke Wright of Sussex – both have 240 runs in five innings averaging 48.00.
However, Eskinazi is slightly superior in terms of strike rating, given his 154.83 figure, while 35-year-old slugger Wright is 147.23.
His prolific tournament up to this point includes hits of (from the start) 24 against Essex, 84 against Kent, 79 against Sussex, 51 against Essex again and a first-time failure of two in the most recent innings against Surrey.
Eskinazi is as cosmopolitan a cricket figure as you can imagine: he was born in Johannesburg in March 1994 to an English mother and a Zimbabwean father, although the family moved to Australia when he was young and underwent his education in the “mini South Africa “from Perth, Australia, at Christ Church Grammar School and later at the University of Western Australia.
He clearly understands any confusion about where his national loyalties may lie: “I guess there is no real way to establish what nationality I really am … It could be a mix of anything,” he is quoted on his Cricinfo profile as saying.
But Eskinazi knows that he cannot rest on his laurels; Aside from Wright’s neck-and-neck challenge, at least one more absolute South African is behind him.
Roodepoort-born David Wiese, a 26-game white ball player for the Proteas, has racked up 201 runs in just four innings to place Sussex fourth on the career chart; He’s only been fired twice, so his average is dizzying. 100.50.
The skinny off-roader also spoiled a potential Eskinazi party a few days ago: His 79 undefeated to win the match at Lord’s was a decisive counter to the first’s own 79 hit after Middlesex hit first.
There’s another little South African-related quirk in the broader T20 setting in England today.
Dawid Malan’s explosive form for his national team of late has seen him propelled to the helm of the ICC rankings for international T20 hitters.
Now 33, the Paarl Boys High School alumnus was born in England but is of South African descent.
The southpaw has been a key figure in England’s respective recent series against Pakistan (shared 1-1) and Australia (win 2-1), and is no stranger to fans of Boland and the Cape Town Blitz, whom he has represented.
* Follow our editor-in-chief on Twitter: @RobHouwing
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