Andre Nel would like to be remembered as a cricketer who always gave his all and played with passion and heart. The fiery fast bowler loved nothing more than getting under the skin of an opponent. His aggressive demeanour and angry scowl matched his hostile bowling.
If there was one thing the South African enjoyed above all else it was a challenge. He thrived in the test arena bowling long spells and targeting a particular batsman. This has become somewhat of a forgotten art in the era of Twenty20 cricket where a bowler has just four overs to make an impression.
Gone are the line and length deliveries, replaced by slow bouncers and full pitched yorkers. "Personally I have found it pretty tricky as the skills are very different to test match cricket," admits Nel. "You have to be on the button with every delivery and you have very little time to work a batsman out."
Now in his second season at Surrey, Nel has never been one to shy away from a challenge. Although he may have found the transition to the shorter form of the game hard, he is still looking forward to playing in the newly revamped Friends Provident T20 Cup.
"We have had a bad start to the county season but we are hoping to do well in the one day games. T20 is hard for the bowlers, especially when the wickets are flat, but it's a nice challenge. It's great to see full stadiums with the music going as I get more excited and fired up. That's the kind of person I am, I like the banter with the crowd."
Nel would certainly have enjoyed the carnival atmosphere in the West Indies where his former South African colleagues yet again flattered to deceive. There were high hopes for the Proteas who once again fell at the crucial stage.
This has become an all too familiar story and Nel believes that it is a mental problem dating back to the infamous 1999 semi final against Australia. "Since that World Cup where Allan Donald was run out we have had a mental block. It is a deep down hurt that seems to affect all of the players and unfortunately we have become known as chokers.
"We seem to be able to play extremely well in the early stages of tournaments but when it really counts we freeze. It has been going on for so long now that it seems impossible to change. Perhaps we need to bring in some of the younger guys who won't have those bad memories and can start afresh."
South Africa have always produced gifted young cricketers, but lately it has been England benefiting from this talent. Paul Collingwood's triumphant Twenty20 side contained three South Africans who all made huge contributions throughout the tournament, including the final in which Craig Kieswetter and Kevin Pietersen put on a vital 100 run partnership.
"It's very interesting to see these players doing so well. You can see that they have the South African mentality in that they have no fear of failure and simply go out and play their natural game. I think this will probably rub off on the English guys which can only be good for English cricket."
It is refreshing to see that Nel takes such a positive view on these players choosing to represent England. "They have made the decision to come over here and qualify for England. They have declared their loyalty and now that they have been accepted I wish them the best of luck."
When Nel announced his retirement from international cricket in 2009 it was so that he could help younger players. At Surrey he has this opportunity and although they have not been performing, he hopes he can offer plenty of advice. He even claims with his new found maturity he will leave behind his aggressive approach.
"I used to let people get under my skin and that would lead to me not bowling as well. Now I might appear worked up on the outside but I remain calm and that makes me more dangerous. I still think a fast bowler needs that aggressive streak though as you need something in your armoury to upset and get under the skin of the batsmen."
It was Nel's aggressive style that first got him noticed by South Africa when a well placed bouncer hit his hero Alan Donald. The normally stone-faced quick bowler went back to his mark and began crying.
"I was asked to bowl the bouncer and unfortunately it hit him. The coach had asked me to get in his face as he said he would respect that," describes the man who took 123 Test wickets. "I couldn't hold back the tears as he was the ultimate role model, but it obviously made people stand up as it wasn't long before I made my international debut."
This aggression and will to win is what made Nel such an exciting bowler to watch. Let's just hope that in the future there will always be a place in a side for an old fashioned fast bowler.
Surrey CCC has eight home fixtures as part of the revamped Friends Provident t20 Cup and tickets are available for each game by calling 020 7820 5700 or visiting http://www.britoval.com/fixtures-tickets.
