Fit and firing Burger ready to be unleashed at the Wanderers

Nandre Burger idolised Wimbledon tennis legend Roger Federer during his formative years.

While this may sound strange for a fast bowler from South Africa with so many pace bowling legends to choose from, it stems from Burger’s first love having been tennis and were it not for a back injury, he may well have been gracing the All England Tennis Club Lawn courts instead of charging in at Lord’s.

Injuries though seems to have followed Burger with him through to his cricket career.

After an explosive Betway SA20 Season 2, which saw the left-arm tearaway pick up 11 wickets that helped catapult him to the international stage to become an all-format Protea and earn an IPL debut with Rajasthan Royals, he missed the entire Season 3 with a lower back stress fracture.

And just after making his return to competitive action in the MLC with Texas Super Kings and the Proteas on their subcontinent tours, Burger sustained a hamstring injury again in Raipur in November that saw him return home early and miss the start of the Joburg Super Kings’ Season 4 campaign.

But Burger is finally back. Fit and firing again for JSK. He was particularly good in his comeback game, picking up 2/23 including the wicket of a rampant Nicholas Pooran, in the 12-over shootout against MI Cape Town at Newlands.

“It's been frustrating (sitting on the sidelines) if I can say so. Obviously, nice to get out here,” Burger said.

“Obviously, a bit tentative to come back from a hamstring injury under wet weather. But yeah, I'm glad to have finished the game and glad I got through the overs.”

JSK bowling coach Eric Simons was certainly pleased with the southpaw’s output upon his return, citing that Burger adds an “extra dimension” to the Super Kings attack.

Burger, though, is just happy to be working with the 63-year-old fast bowling “guru” again.

“100% correct, he's the guru of bowling, he's very good at what he does,” he said.

“Honestly, Eric's really taken my thinking about bowling to the next level. I'm really grateful for the relationship and all the learnings I've got from him.”

After a frustrating previous season where the Wanderers-based side suffered a fast bowling crisis, Stephen Fleming has assembled a battery of seamers such as Richard Gleeson, Reece Topley and Daniel Worrall alongside Burger’s X-factor.

Although Topley and Worrall have yet to make an impact, Gleeson has already shown his worth by sitting second on the competition’s overall wicket-takers list with nine scalps.

Burger certainly feels he can learn plenty from each of the experienced English trio.

“Yeah, all the grandads. No, I'm just kidding,” he joked. “But yeah, I think I'm excited to learn and keep learning from a lot of experienced players.

“We've actually got to spend some time together. It's been quite nice just to chat to them and kind of understand their game a little bit. So, looking forward to getting to do that over the course of the season.”

He also appreciates that he has a T20 mastermind in captain Faf du Plessis alongside him at mid-off to bounce plans off in the heat of battle.

“Faf is so special in just how calm he stays in pressure situations. He just begs you to really execute what you think you do best.

“So, it's really cool to have someone so calm, so experienced that chats to you under pressure.”

The pressure valve will be on the rise when Burger and JSK meet at the Wanderers in a crucial Betway SA20 clash on Thursday evening.