Kyle Abbott names Allan Donald as the fast bowler he closely followed

Former South African speedster Kyle Abbott recently revealed the name of his favorite bowler. He remarked that he learnt a lot watching former South African pacer Allan Donald. He also spoke about another former South African legend, Lance Klusener, citing him as the biggest influence on his career. Kyle Abbott is currently in Bangladesh, where he is plying his trade for the Khulna Titans in the ongoing edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

This is the first time that he is participating in the competition and is having quite a good time in the tournament. As per the recent quotes in the Dhaka Tribune, he was asked to pick a fast bowler who he has followed very closely. Kyle was quick to take the name of Allan Donald and mentioned that he learned a lot whilst training under him.

He also named Dale Steyn as the another pacer he looked up to. Kyle Abbott always played under the shadows of Morne Morkel and Steyn. In their absence, he used to get his limited opportunities. No wonder why he quit international cricket and signed the Kolpak deal last season.

“Allan Donald. I worked under Donald for a couple of years when I was in the South Africa national team. It was a pretty good experience to work with him. And obviously I have followed Dale Steyn, who is one of the best in the world. He is also one of my close friends. About Dale, I can say we also have similar interests like surfing and fishing. Our relationship off the field is very good as well and still he is a very good friend of mine,” quoted Kyle Abbott.

Klusener – a big influence

Speaking about the player who has had a big influence on his career, the former pacer quoted Lance Klusener to be the one. He cited that they both hail from the same place and have similar interests. Also, he quoted that it was Klusener who made him realise his worth as a cricketer.

“Klusener probably has the biggest influence on my career. He is a good friend of mine. We come from the same part of the world. We enjoyed similar things off the field as well. We both enjoy fishing. He is a fantastic fisherman. I have been lucky enough to stand with him quite a few times in the beach. As a coach he took me out of my comfort zone. That was a really important thing to me. He made me realise what I am actually capable of as a cricketer as I probably did not have much of an idea about that previously. He challenged me a lot. That was a great thing for me. And it was needed at that time of my career to become a better player,” mentioned Abbott.