Let’s face facts here. There’s not an awful lot that the cricket world has come to know or even see of a certain Van Schalkwyk but the United States of America fast bowler, a committed right arm medium pacer with much committment, is turning up the heat. Something that was evident and easily so in the crunch game that his USA team played amid much pressure ( and perhaps not even with the remotest of support skewed towards his team) at the Wankhede in Mumbai.
But in the tense World Cup opener for both sides, one that’s playing a maiden T20 world cup where it comes to contesting in India and the other, already a World Cup winner, there were plenty of odds at stake. For both; make no mistake about that.
On their part, the Americans had the onerous challenge of having to lock horns with a giant of the game, a powerhouse of the sport in Team India, who, lest one forgets, are two time world champions.
And on the other hand, even the tiniest of mishits or lamest of batting displays on the part of India would come under much scrutiny amid the ever judgmental eyes of the scathing critics that measure as much as drops of water in the pacific.
And that’s what America’s fast bowler did and with much gusto and single minded determination as he registered not just a four-for spell.
But the best, arguably speaking, we’ve come to witness from the hands of an American fast bowling talent.
While the game is still at play and a lot can happen over the course of the next 20 hours, the contest being at its halfway stage, but one man has done his bit.
And surely, there’s more to this contest than just Suryakumar Yadav with his gritty, gutsy 84, a blinder of a knock.
Lest we forget, the World Cup opener was, is and shall be remembered also for the brilliant 4 for 25 that Shadley van Schalkwyk took off his full quote of overs.
Make no mistake - it’s one thing to take quick Indian wickets in succession; but something completely different and hugely drastic to put pressure on a team as mega and popular as India whose Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan and Shivam Dube fell to Van Schalkwayk.
There was speed, there was accuracy and of course, there was great purpose to the searing energy that the right arm bowler brought to the middle suspending India’s hopes early up in its innings to dominate the Americans.
While Suryakumar Yadav did eventually ace the USA bowlers taking his team whilst absorbing all pressure but early up, the man who pushed India to the back and against the wall, then it was that man, the gritty Mr. Shadley!
