3 times Donovan Ferreira showed that he's the next big thing in South African cricket

Joburg Super Kings' Donovan Ferreira smashed the fastest half-century in SA 20 on Saturday, January 20, as they registered their first win of the season. The right-hand batter has been playing domestic cricket since 2018 and is touted to be the next big thing in South African cricket, along with the likes of Dewald Brevis and Gerald Coetzee.

The 25-year-old is a batting all-rounder who can also keep wickets. He has played just two T20Is for the Proteas, but it shouldn't be long before he is a regular feature in all formats of the game for his country.

On that note, let's look at three instances where Donovan Ferreira showed why he's the next big thing in South African cricket:

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#1 Fastest fifty in SA 20 history

Donovan Ferreira took just 18 deliveries to reach his half-century against the Pretoria Capitals on January 20. The Joburg Super Kings were winless in their first four encounters of the season, but Ferreira's knock inspired them to victory.

Chasing 168, Ferreira walked in to bat at 94/4 with 12.2 overs already being bowled. The right-handed batter smashed seven fours and three sixes to take the game completely away from the Pretoria Capitals.

The power hitter scored 56 runs off just 20 balls and achieved the target with two overs to spare. His partner, Moeen Ali, scored a comfortable 25 off 21 balls, but due to Ferreira's 280 strike rate, the Joburg Super Kings won the match easily.

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#2 T20I debut against Australia

Donovan Ferreira's T20I debut for South Africa came against Australia at Durban in September 2023. He walked into bat at 116/4 after 12.4 overs and smashed a quickfire 48 off 21 balls to propel the Proteas to a competitive total of 190/8.

Neither did he keep wickets in that match, nor was he given the opportunity to showcase his off-break skills. However, he contributed in the field by taking the catch of Tim David.

Nevertheless, his batting performance alone was enough to show a glimpse of his potential. He had the highest strike rate of any batter that day and also scored more sixes than any other batter. However, South Africa ended up losing the encounter.

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#3 Donovan Ferreira smashed five sixes in a row

Donovan Ferreira plays in several franchise tournaments across the globe, including the IPL with the Rajasthan Royals. The Pretoria-born player represents the Harare Hurricanes in the Zimbabwe Afro T10 in 2023, for whom he smashed five sixes in a row last year.

Playing against the Cape Town Samp Army, Ferreira was batting on 57 off 27 balls when he took strike against Karim Janat in the final over of the first innings. He couldn't score off the first ball but smashed the remaining five deliveries for thirty runs.

The Harare Hurricanes eventually won the match after a super over. Performances like these make players like Ferreira stand out from the rest of the talented players. Given the scarcity of hard-hitting all-rounders, he is set to have a fine career.