Eighteen-year-old JJ Basson will be sitting his final school exams this week, having already written his name into history books. On his first-class debut for Lions, he took 11 for 99 - the best match-figures by a seamer on red-ball debut in South Africa's history - though he didn't quite know how significant his achievement was when it happened.
"I would [have] never imagined my debut match would end up the way it did," Basson, who was South Africa's leading bowler at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, told Cricinfo. "It was really awesome to have contributed the way I did and I'm really proud of what I have achieved. I will definitely remember this match for a really long time."
So will Allan Donald, Lions' bowling coach, who has come across a fair few seamers and knows a good one when he sees it. "What a find this kid is," Donald told Cricinfo. "I'm always very careful of labelling too soon but what a performance. This kid bowled the kind of spell that a lot of 28-year-olds only bowl once in their lifetime and the maturity of how he did was just honestly something."
More so, because the Lions were without the main seamers. Lutho Sipamla was injured in Namibia where Kwena Maphaka was playing for the senior national side. Gerald Coetzee and Codi Yusuf were on duty for the A side and Wiaan Mulder was unavailable for personal reasons. That meant Basson, in his first match, had to lead an attack with two other bowling debutants - Wilco de Bruin and Rafeeq Patel - and he proved up to the task as he was among the wickets from his first spell.
In his third over of the first innings, Basson bowled Boland's opener Blayde Capell and that was only the beginning. His next wicket was Gavin Kaplan - last season's leading first-class run-scorer with over 900 runs - who was out for a first-ball duck. After removing the other member of the opening pair, Ruan Terblanche, Basson bowled two-time Test captain Neil Brand and loved it.
"That was my favourite wicket. I clean bowled him," Basson said. "That was just super special, so nice, I think from a bowler through the gate, stumps flying, definitely my favourite."
At one stage, Lions had Boland 90 for 6 and Basson had taken all six wickets. Then he was brought back to remove centurion Lehan Botha, for 170. Basson finished with 7 for 62 in the first innings and such was his dominance that when Lions set Boland a target of 279 on the fourth day, it was clear they hoped he could bowl them to victory. He bowled more overs than any other seamer and took all four wickets that fell.
As Basson plugged, Donald was certain he was seeing what happens when potential is given responsibility. "I was walking around the ground when he started his second spell and I could see straight away that his rhythm was on. That's something I know he has been working on because he had a few no-ball issues but he has sorted that out," Donald said. "The ability to swing the ball so late is a great asset of his. He is lanky with a natural wrist position and being left arm just makes him a special talent. And he's a great listener and asks good questions."
Then Donald made the big comparison. "It's like when I saw KG for the first time and he rocked and rolled in Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval in a T20I against Australia (where Rabada debuted but went wicketless), I just knew. Every now and again, one of these kids comes along and they are just a find that you want to nurture."
It's interesting that Rabada's name has come up because before South Africa's summer even began, they lost him for at least the rest of this month to a hamstring injury sustained in winter training. Rabada is in a race against time to be fit for the Tests and the fixtures that follow against Bangladesh and England.
If that wasn't bad enough, two days into the first-round of domestic matches, Ottneil Baartman followed, having also hurt a hamstring. Baartman bowled only five overs for Dolphins against Titans, did not bat and has been ruled out of the Australia ODIs. Duan Jansen has been named as his replacement.
It's far too early to be talking about Basson alongside those names but this is a summer with eight Tests, nine ODIs and three T20Is at home and two Tests away in Sri Lanka. Managing the workload of their fast bowlers, especially, will be crucial and there's expected to be a fair amount of rotation. Maybe, just maybe, Basson will find the door that revolves his way.
First, there is the small matter of finishing school, which Donald said must "come first" even if it provides a source of entertainment for now. "It's funny to see him in the dressing room, sitting there in his books. He is studying and we know he's got a busy week coming up."
Basson will not travel with the Lions to their next fixture, against Knights in Bloemfontein this week and though he is "gutted to miss an opportunity to possibly be part of the traveling XI, this is part of the journey," he said. There's also no doubt what his post-school plans are. "As soon as my last exam is done, it's going to be cricket all the way."
