Player Profile – Josh Wilkie (Selborne College)
There was only one right option, and that’s the one Josh Edwards took. The number six batsman didn’t swing for the fences, try to drive the ball for a four, or manipulate it into the gap for a two. He worked it for a single and put Josh Wilkie on strike.
Wilkie dispatched the next three deliveries to the boundary. Those 12 runs confirmed the Eastern Cape Iinyathi u16 opener as the first player to register a triple century at a Cricket South Africa national week. His 182-ball 357 eclipsed Janneman Malan’s 214 runs in 213 balls at the u17 week in 2013.
Wilkie, who struck 41 fours and 18 sixes in his record-breaking knock, maintained a steady pace throughout his innings. He faced only 45 deliveries to get to 100 runs, needed another 53 balls to get to 200 runs, and took 54 more to reach his triple century.
His blistering knock catapulted EC Iinyathi to 517 runs in 50 overs and was a perfect way for the Selbone High learner and the Iinyathi to get the 2025 u16 week underway. It also felt as if the teenager’s budding cricket career had been building up to that moment.
It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact moment he fell in love with cricket, but once the bug bit, Josh Wilkie never turned back. Ross, his father, has fond memories of returning from work to find his son, around four or five years of age, waiting with a bat and ball for a session in the backyard.
“I always opened the front door and found him waiting for me to play cricket,” said Ross.
The weekends were the best days of the week for Josh Wilkie. The youngster spent hours on the side of the cricket field at Beacon Bay Country Club imitating his father, who is also a wicketkeeper and top-order batsman.
“The more time he spent around the field watching the game of cricket, the more he desired to develop as a cricketer,” Chantelle, his mother, shared.
Josh would have spent all his afternoons in the nets if he could. He took every opportunity to attend club practice sessions, where he would studiously watch the adults go through their paces before replicating their shots while getting throwdowns from Ross.
“My role model is AB de Villiers because of the way he can hit the ball wherever he wants and can play around the whole field and how strong his mind is,” Wilkie revealed.
Like his hero, he is blessed with incredible hand-eye coordination and hand speed. It was a feature of his batting that Ross noticed early and nurtured in their net sessions and backyard matches.
The rest of the world was first treated to Josh Wilkie’s ball striking ability when he struck a well-made 108 for Hudson Park u10A in a match against Stirling‘s u10A side.
Wilkie is a consummate all-rounder. He also bowled and bagged a four-wicket haul in that contest against Stirling u10A. While his primary roles in the Selborne College side are as a batsman and wicketkeeper, he has not allowed his bowling skills to atrophy. He still works on them.
“At school, he plays cricket and rugby and has represented his province in the u13 and u16 age groups. However, his main passion, however, lies with cricket,” Ross said.
Josh, who made his debut for Selborne’s 1st XI in his Grade 9 year, has been a fixture at the top of the order for the school. Since announcing himself to the team with an unbeaten 34, he hasn’t looked back.
“He has continued his fine form from the u16 week and was one of our key contributors in the Eastern Cape final round [of the Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two competition]. He scored three fifties, notably 54 not to lead Selborne through to book a spot in Pretoria,” Murray Spence, the Selborne Master of Cricket, recalled.
Ross and Chantelle try to be present at each of Josh’s matches, accompanied by Samuel, their younger son. The family beams with pride each time Josh performs well. They also provide him with the necessary reality checks that keep him grounded, even if that comes after he scored a record-breaking 357.
“As parents, our biggest highlight is a primary school game where he walked for nicking the ball, and also being able to let others see his faith in Christ through his sporting abilities,” Ross and Chantelle revealed.
The opener arrives at the Switch Schools SA20 Final Showdown with a clean slate. His mind won’t be cluttered with memories of his past exploits. His primary motivation will be to contribute meaningfully, with the bat and as a wicketkeeper, to Selborne’s campaign.
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