Ruthless finisher starts South African season with exceptional century

The Ball in Play

Sep 21, 2026

Donovan Ferreira is back in South Africa, eager for the new season and daring to believe that he is the finisher the Proteas need for both next year’s ODI World Cup and T20 cricket. And yet it was in four-day, red-ball cricket where he first showed his class this season with an exceptional innings in the Northerns Titans’ opening match.

Ferreira has not been selected for the Proteas squad for the three ODIs against Australia starting on Thursday, but he knows competing with the likes of David Miller and Tristan Stubbs for the finisher role in the Proteas team is a tough challenge. He is full of belief, however, that he certainly belongs in that company. And the 28-year-old is pleased that his season started with a couple of four-day games for the Titans.

He made spectacular use of his first innings back in the country, scoring a magnificent 163 off just 180 balls as the Titans beat the KZN Dolphins by an innings at SuperSport Park. Ferreira came to the crease late on the first day after a powerful Titans attack had dismissed the Dolphins for just 157, but then the home side had been effectively reduced to 125 for five with one batsman retired hurt. He ensured he survived the dozen overs until stumps, but then produced a masterclass on the second day, batting through the entire morning session with Simon Harmer.

Ferreira batted within himself until he reached his century off 143 deliveries, but he is such a ruthless dispatcher of anything loose, whatever the length or line, that he was still scoring fluently against bowlers who were holding sway. He then exploded, lashing 63 runs off his next 37 balls. It was a career-best effort, his fourth first-class century lifting his first-class average to 49.59 after 15 matches.

“This is going to be a big season and I’m glad I’m going to be available for quite a few games for the Titans. The franchise means a lot to me, it’s my base and it’s a chance for me to reset and grow. It’s really nice to be part of the Titans because Albie Morkel [assistant coach] has helped me a lot with my batting, he knows my game well. And I’m pleased to start the season with red-ball cricket because it’s important to have that base for your batting,” Ferreira told kenborland.com.

“In terms of Proteas selection, I can only focus on what I can do. The higher powers have their job to do in terms of selection; my responsibility is to score as many runs as possible. That’s my focus. I will give everything and just try to contribute to the Titans team, share my knowledge and experience from playing T20 around the world.

“In terms of the domestic Pro20, I’m going to put a lot of focus on preparation and backing myself. My role as a finisher is an important one and it’s a diverse role because the situations you come into are not aways the same. I still believe I can contribute to the national team, if you don’t believe that then it becomes a lot harder. I definitely believe I can conquer that challenge,” Ferreira said.

Central to Ferreira’s belief is the fabulous IPL tournament he had earlier in the year. He was able to start 15 games this season for the Rajasthan Royals, having played only two matches for them in 2024 and just once for Delhi Capitals in 2025. His confidence grew and grew as he ended the campaign with 317 runs (75% in boundaries) in 13 innings, at a strike-rate of 179 and an average of 35.

Ferreira was a standout player as the Royals reached Qualifier 2, competing with lethal compatriot Heinrich Klaasen and Australian behemoth Tim David for the most sixes in the death overs (16-20). He has become one of the best in the world at hitting yorkers over the boundary and his fantastic numbers speak to a batsman who has matured, pacing his innings superbly thanks to the mental clarity he has developed.

“The IPL was big for me in terms of performance. I’d sat bench for three years and I was just trying to cement myself when I went back to Rajasthan. Fortunately for me, Sam Curran got injured and that opened a door for me. I had to take the opportunity and thankfully my game was in an improved space.

“Things happen for a reason and I believe it was an important stage of my career. My process now stays the same, I’m used to conditions in India and my spin play has improved. I used those three years to grow me and get ready for the highest level.

“You need stumbling blocks to keep growing and I’ve learnt a lot of lessons through all the ups and downs. Playing a lot of cricket gives you the opportunity to do well. If I stick to my processes, I believe I can really push the bar. I still need to fine-tune one or two things,” Ferreira said.

While the seasoned Miller and the exciting Stubbs currently have the inside lane in the squabble for the finishing role with the Proteas at next year’s 50-over World Cup, don’t underestimate Ferreira’s claims. He is a steely character with audacious skills when it comes to striking a cricket ball, and there was a grim determination in his eyes when he said:

“I missed out on the T20 World Cup earlier this year when I fractured my collarbone, so that was an opportunity taken away, but it was out of my control. For any player, being in a World Cup is the ultimate goal. But I need to keep my focus on the process, just give myself the best opportunity to score runs.

“And then it’s in the selectors’ hands. To play in and hopefully win the World Cup at home would be the absolute ultimate.”

Proteas coach Shukri Conrad has been known to do some daring things, and perhaps Stubbs’s ability to bat in different positions and Ferreira’s added strings to his bow in being able to bowl off-spin or keep wicket will encourage the maverick to do something left-field like picking them both, as well as Miller …

 

Albie Morkel’s top-class century to win the Momentum One-Day Cup final for the Unlimited Titans was not only a dream come true for the all-rounder but also a strong reminder to coaches that being a brilliant finisher does not mean a batsman should be consigned to a role only in the closing overs of a limited-overs match.

Morkel came to the crease in the final at Newlands with the Titans in trouble on 60 for four chasing 286, but he and Dean Elgar, who also scored a century, shared a record-breaking partnership of 195 off 189 balls to set up a phenomenal victory which the veteran finished off in style with a magnificent 134 not out off 103 balls.

“It was a big day in my life, I was quite emotional but I kept it deep inside on the field. Coach Rob Walter and I had discussed at the start of the season what’s left for me in my career and I reset my goals. One of them was to score a 50-over century and another was to be man of the match in a final.

“Batting at six or seven, you don’t often get the opportunity to score a hundred, it has to be quick, but to do it in a final and to be man of the match, both of them together was really special, a dream come true. I scratched around a bit at the beginning, but then something clicked and I just seemed to be in the zone, my senses all became so clear and I was seeing the ball really well,” Morkel told The Citizen on Monday.

The left-hander’s innings was similar to that of David Miller’s in South Africa’s World Cup opener against Zimbabwe and Morkel said he hoped these performances helped convince coaches to give so-called power-hitters a greater piece of the action.

“With the new batting powerplay and only four fielders allowed out at the end, coaches tend to keep key batsmen back for that but I’ve never understood it because as a batsman you like to get in and you need the opportunity to do that. Your success rate drops when you have less time at the crease and David Miller showed what can be done when you give a batsman enough time and don’t keep him back.

“Both David and I came in in a situation where the team was in big trouble, but it gives you the luxury to just go in and bat. I knew I must just not get out, I must be there at the end and then you can really cash in,” Morkel said.

The 33-year-old also showed the value of his experience in a Titans side full of youngsters and Morkel said he is determined to return the franchise to the heights of the mid-to-late 2000s, when they won seven domestic trophies.

“The Titans needed that win because we’ve had a seesaw season and it was even more important for the changeroom because obviously they will now believe they can win more trophies. I still want to play my best cricket, in the past I made the mistake of putting too much emphasis on getting into the national team. My focus now is on getting myself back to my best form and winning games for the Titans. That’s where the enjoyment comes, in that changeroom environment.

“At this stage, I’m playing the role of a senior, there are lots of young guys coming through and they need a lot of help. I often chat with David Wiese and the young bowlers,” Morkel said.