The rapid rise of Curtis Campher, already at home in international cricket

OLIVER THORPE: The South Africa-born allrounder enjoyed a terrific ODI series against England. Campher, his former mentor and new head coach reflect on a journey that over the last fortnight has taken a most exciting turn

Curtis Campher, meet international cricket; international cricket, meet Curtis Campher. That is how an introduction would normally go, but Campher needed no introduction to ODI cricket in Ireland’s recent series against England, as he took to it like a duck takes to water.

The 21-year-old scored 127 runs in the three matches and took five wickets with the ball at an average of 28.80. Campher also became the first man in history to score back-to-back half-centuries and take wickets in each of his first two ODIs.

He has the second-highest batting average in ODI cricket, with only Max O’Dowd (Netherlands) averaging higher with 145. Albeit, they’ve only played five ODIs between them.

Few people in Irish cricket, let alone world cricket had heard of Campher before Ireland announced him as part of their 21-man squad which travelled to Southampton.

So, who is he? Campher was born in Johannesburg, South Africa back in April 1999 to his mother, Ingrid and his father, Paul. He grew up in Johannesburg with his mum, dad and older brother, Collin.

However, it is through his paternal grandmother that he qualifies for Ireland. Hailing from Londonderry in Northern Ireland, Helena McDevette, moved to South Africa after the Second World War as there were more opportunities for nurses.

The Campher family like their sport. Curtis’ father was a handy golfer on the South African PGA Tour, his mother played some tennis and his brother played cricket until he left school.

Campher says that his father and brother are his main inspirations and that matches in the back garden with his brother was how he got into cricket.

“He (Collin) is probably the reason I play sport,” he tells The Cricketer. “We had a nice sized back garden and we played a number of sports: cricket, hockey, soccer, tennis, golf – we used to play in the garden most afternoons.

“He was four years older than me, so I was always trying to be as good as him; if he was batting, I would have to bowl really well to get him out and when I was batting, I would have to bat really well. He bowled faster and it was a massive competition!”

He has fond memories of his early cricketing days and recalls one of his early matches. “I had those Aero pads – they weren’t really pads, but more like an arm guard [for your legs],” he says. “We had to drive to Pretoria, but luckily I got some runs in that game and I absolutely loved it.”

^{Campher made half centuries and took wickets in each of his first two ODIs}

St. Stithian’s College is where Campher grew as a cricketer. Regarded as one of the top schools in South Africa, he had the support to strive towards his dream of being a professional sportsman. 

One figure who has been a big part of Campher’s career is Bongani Ndaba. Ndaba has also coached other top cricketers including South Africa quick Kagiso Rabada, and Northamptonshire batsman Ricardo Vasconcelos, among others.

“He (Ndaba) is the guy that I’ll phone whenever I need help,” explains Campher. “If I ever go back to South Africa, we’ll be hitting balls. He’s pushed me and played a major role in my career.”

Ndaba can’t speak highly enough of Campher and says he has always been impressed by how the youngster has carried himself.

Ndaba says: “His attitude was first class. At Saints we had a culture of: ‘You want to lead from the front,’ in terms of your work ethic. He was in a special bunch – the way he spoke to other guys with authority, the way he expressed himself and his ideas was interesting.”

When comparing Campher to Rabada and Vasconcelos, Ndaba explains: “They’re all different individuals but one thing they all have as a quality is work ethic. Their strive for excellence is one thing that binds them together.

“KG (Rabada) wanted to be the world’s best and asked me: ‘How do I go into territory that no one else has gone into?’ I look at Curtis’ first two games for Ireland and he’s the first [person] to score two fifties and take wickets in his first two matches.”

Growing up, Campher aspired to be like Jacques Kallis and Kevin O’Brien. When asked whether he could be in the same ilk, Ndaba says: “He’s a different mould of cricketer. I remind him that he is Curtis Campher and he needs to look after that brand. I think he has the attributes to make a dent in international cricket.”

For Campher, it wasn’t always just cricket as a child. He played hockey as a left-back and centre-back and was selected for a South Africa Under-17 training camp.

One of cricket or hockey had to give, but it is Ndaba who admits it was always clear he was destined to focus solely on cricket.

“I looked at hockey as an extra – that is what gave him that x-factor in his cricket. His hockey coach probably thought the same thing, but I always had a feeling that he was more [of a] cricketer.  

“He’s got the sports gene in him – I always used to say: ‘You can do that on a hockey field, you can use your wrists. When you play against spin you can do this, you can do that.’ He can use hockey as a bouncing board for what he can do on the cricket pitch.”

After his time at the hockey training camp, Campher was called up to play cricket for South Africa Under-19s.

^{Campher's international career began with South Africa Under-19s}

“When I went on my first tour, I was really excited and put it on a pedestal,” said Campher. “I forgot that I was playing against other schoolboy cricketers. I had it in my mind that it was international cricket and that the level was going to be so much higher and guys were going to be so good. 

“Don’t get me wrong, guys were good but it was just part of the journey and a stepping stone (into international cricket). I think if I had taken time to enjoy it more, I would have done better,” he explained.

Soon after, his journey into the Irish cricket set-up began. He was playing for a representative side in South Africa ahead of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe. This was the first time that Ireland head coach, Graham Ford, set eyes on Campher.

“He first caught my eye when he got Andy Balbirnie out,” Ford explains. “The word from the opposition coach was: ‘Do you know this guy has an Irish passport?’. We watched him closely throughout the day – he bowled nicely and then smacked us around a bit.”

There was a chat at that stage about coming over to Ireland, but Campher was – and still is – studying a BCOM in Business Management at the University of Pretoria. 

“We stayed in touch and then picked him for the Wolves tour in Pretoria against Namibia. He went well.

“Study commitments were less and he was able to come over here this summer. Obviously, he hasn’t played much cricket because of what’s gone on, but he has been able to train and he’s shown us what he’s all about,” he added. 

His three performances in the green jersey have been promising – playing to the situation – and Ford has liked what he’s seen over the past couple of weeks on tour. 

“He’s incredibly energetic, he’s desperate to learn and is a real fighter,” Ford says. “He played the warm-up game against the [England] Lions and it looked like it was his World Cup final – he was bowling with intensity; he goes to war out there.”

^{Campher's success could open the door to other overseas players with Irish passports}

With his encouraging start, it is easy to get carried away but Ford admits that it’s too early to say what role he will have in the years to come.

“It’s too early to make that call. What is exciting is that we have a number of players showing potential and every ball that they’re involved in on this stage is a huge learning opportunity and they need more of that.”

One thing that Ford hasn’t ruled out is other overseas players with Irish passports getting involved with the national side. The likes of Australian Nick Larkin, and South African Ruhan Pretorious could get a chance in the future if they were to commit to the Irish cause.

“I think there will be more and more who do that sort of thing,” says Ford. “If they are a quality cricketer with an Irish passport, we are obviously interested.

“A guy like him (Campher) strengthens our system in terms of our domestic cricket. If they want to commit themselves to Irish cricket then of course we’re interested. It can only be a good thing.”

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