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growing up in South Africa, it was much
warmer when we were standing outside
waiting for players to walk past.”
KeplerWessels is a divisive figure in cricket.
A renowned disciplinarian both during his
time as a player and as Northants’ director
of cricket, a position he held until 2006.
He adopted a similar mantra in Riki’s
development, dealing in tough justice
but happy to acknowledge his son’s
achievements.
“He has pushed me hard,” he said.
“Do well and I get some good messages,
get a few bad scores and it’s more like
something along the lines of ‘toughen up,
carry on going.’
“I wouldn’t change that. I‘d rather have
someone pushing me than wrapping me up
in cotton wool.
“We have an ongoing competition where
I’ll always look to outdo some of his stats.
“I can remember getting my first pair, and
receiving a message from my father saying
‘I never did that in my career.’ At the time
it wasn’t really what I wanted to hear but in
a strange way, it was nice.”
TheWessels surname is a special one in
cricket, and one destined to haunt Riki
throughout his career in the game.
Sometimes in sport there’s a feeling of
having to escape the legacy of a family
member, of wanting to avoid a legacy and
live in the shadow of one of their closest
relatives. ForWessels, however, it’s an
accolade, something to wear with pride.
“It’s nice to read the articles that start
with something along the lines of ‘Riki,
son of…’. I’m proud of what my father
achieved, and always will be,” he said.
“It’s something special, that not many
people get to do. I’m proud even to be
associated with him.
“If you’re not gong to be proud of your
family’s achievements then you can’t
expect them to enjoy your success.
“You look at what my dad achieved in
cricket, if I achieved even half of what he
did it would still make me an outstanding
player in the game.
“I’ve copped a few barrages at the wicket,
mostly on his behalf, which I’ve always
thought was quite strange because he
wasn’t even there.
“I get sledged quite regularly. I seem to
annoy the bowlers more often than not.
It’s a compliment if I’m annoying them…
I must be doing something right, sticking
around and being there longer than they’d
like. I’ll take that.”
“You look at what
my dad achieved in
cricket, if I achieved
even half of what
he did it would
still make me an
outstanding player
in the game.”
There’s clearly a strong bond between
Wessels and his father.When recounting
tales of his childhood and the time spent
with him during his career, there’s an
evident desire in his tone that he wants to
make his father proud.
For a player keen to make his own way in
the game,Wessels only wishes that he had
the chance to bat alongside his father, with
only five years between the end of Kepler’s
career and the start of Riki’s.
“The only thing I regret is not having the
chance to play with him,” he said.
“That would have been quite special. I was
just outside the system when he retired so
it would have been an amazing experience.