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Stepping out of the shadows
With pedigree so important in sport,
expectations are always high when batsman
Wessels takes to the crease, his father’s
achievements – 2,788Test runs at an
average of 41 – could serve to trivialise
milestones of his own.
What many don’t realise though, is that
Riki was adopted into theWessels family
as a newborn baby, dispelling that notion
and proving that a hardworking ethos and
desire is equally important in shaping the
career of a professional.
“I was six weeks old when I was adopted.
Being in theWessels family has been my
entire life,” he said.
“Everyone assumes that I should be good
at cricket because of who my father is, and
how I grew up.This hasn’t come from my
genes, but something I wanted to work
hard at because my father did it.
“Even growing up I was immensely proud
of what he did and wanted to be just like
him.”
Wessels spent his formative years growing
up in South Africa, and made his first steps
in the game from the boundaries as his
father excelled for his country.
Those afternoons shaped him into an
enthusiastic cricket fan, waiting in sun-
drenched surroundings with autograph
book in hand.
“My childhood was spent around cricket
grounds and playing on fields during lunch
and tea breaks and hounding players for
autographs, as most kids tend to do,” he
said.
“I only went for the big South African
players at that time. It wasn’t easy to get
hold of them, but that was the beauty of
“I was six weeks old
when I was adopted.
Being in theWessels
family has been my
entire life.”
From bat sponsors to charity wristbands, this is an age where
cricketers find themselves promoting any manner of message
through any manner of accessory.
Riki Wessels wears a very different badge. His surname. Son of
South Africa and Australia international Kepler Wessels, Riki’s
famous surname has followed him fromNorthamptonshire to
Nottinghamshire, via stints in Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
Kepler Wessels,
Riki’s famous
father, in action.