Earlier this week, a video of an amateur cricketer named George McMenemy had gone viral as he bowled with a unique bowling action during a match. The fans had heartwarming reactions to the video, which was shared by McMenemy himself. In the caption, the cricketer wrote that cricket “saved my life,” adding that it helped his mental health and he hopes to make his mother “proud up in heaven.”
On Thursday, former South Africa speedster Dale Steyn also reacted to the video. The pacer may have retired from all forms of cricket for nearly a year now, but that did not prevent him from sharing the video on Twitter.
Steyn captioned it saying “If anyone asks what I did for a living, I’m showing them this video.”
However, the former South African pacer, in another tweet, was quick to clear up that his intention was not to mock McMenemy or his bowling style.
Earlier, McMenemy wrote in his caption, “Folks I might be a fool, I might even be the worst cricketer in the world but this sport has saved my life.” He continued, “[It has] enriched my mental health and given me a platform to be happy once more and try to make my incredible Mummy proud up in heaven.” In a final ode to the sport, he concludes, “Cricket I love you.”
McMenemy, who defines himself as being “the world’s worst cricketer but love it!” in his Twitter bio, has seen the video been viewed over 500,000 times on the platform. Steyn was one of those, and clearly shared the same sentiments about how bowling made him feel.
It goes to show how the love for the game is what keeps so many players and fans going, across all levels of the game: there might not be much in common between Dale Steyn and George McMenemy, but their passion for the sport and the joy the find in it means they will always share a common ground.
