McKenzie making up for lost time

Neil McKenzie credits Graeme Smith for an improvement in his batting

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South Africa opener Neil McKenzie believes a three-and-a-half-year absence from the national team may have helped to improve his batting.

The 33-year-old was best known as a solid middle-order batsman for the Proteas until being dropped from the national side in March 2004 after being found out against spin bowling on several occasions.

But speaking ahead of next week's first Test against Australia at the WACA, McKenzie claimed the long absence from representing his country had given him a greater appreciation of life's opportunities.

That has been a realisation which has helped him plunder 1,002 Test runs in 2008 at an average of 58.94.

“(I'm) hungry, more determined,” McKenzie said. “I just treat every tour like it's my last.

“I'm 33 now so I've got a lot of cricket left, but every tour I just feel I'm going to enjoy and make the best of it.

“It's actually been sort of a liberating experience for myself and I just want to try to keep playing that way, where I can enjoy every Test match.

“I think I got stuck on 31 Test matches, didn't think I was going to get to 50 and now I'm on 50 or whatever.”

McKenzie has 53 Test caps, and said: “I'm counting my blessings but (I'm) definitely hungry for a lot more.”

McKenzie has had a stop-start international career, but has now reached 53 caps for South Africa

McKenzie's return to the national team almost stalled before it properly began, though.

He replaced Herschelle Gibbs as opener for South Africa’s second Test against West Indies in January but only managed a score of 23 in the first innings and was replaced as opener by AB de Villiers for the second innings.

Gibbs reclaimed his opening position for the third Test of that series but only managed 27 of South Africa's 556 runs in the first innings and was subsequently dropped, paving the way for McKenzie to return to the side for the tour of Bangladesh.

After a slow first Test against Bangladesh, McKenzie's partnership with South Africa skipper Graeme Smith sparked into life during the second match, the pair putting on a record opening stand of 415 runs, with McKenzie contributing 226.

Nine months later and McKenzie credits Smith's aggressive style - the captain has 1,363 runs at 71.73 with a strike rate of 65.90 this calendar year - as helping his own batting.

“I'm leaving a few,” McKenzie joked. “I think just batting with Graeme, (he) just keeps the scoreboard ticking.

“You just look at his strike rate, so that has taken pressure off me.”