Dane Piedt looks back at Moeen Alisque's Text message from coach post his fifer against New Zealand

South Africa off-spinner Dane Piedt has had pretty much the same journey as England international Moeen Ali. Both played their last Tests in 2019. After their respective series, they didn't find a place in the Test for a while. However, the two-time World Cup winner for the Three Lions did have opportunities in the white-ball team. On the other hand, Piedt left for the USA in 2020, before the Pandemic to play for Major League Cricket.

However, months before the ongoing series, the 33-year-old got a call from the Proteas head coach, Shukri Conrad. The latter knew that the main players wouldn't be available due to their obligations with the recently concluded SA20 2024. Most of the players in the ongoing series had no chance of playing for the Proteas. Meanwhile, after being bowled out for 242 runs, the visitors made a comeback, thanks to Piedt's best bowling figures of five wickets for 89 runs. 

This helped the team take a lead of 31 runs on a turning wicket in Hamilton. "I was sitting out in the US and Shukri sent me a message to ask me if I was keen for New Zealand. To be honest, I thought he was lying," Piedt said in Hamilton, where he took a career-best 5 for 89 against New Zealand on Wednesday. "He told me 'I am being dead serious'. I didn't know of anything that was going on [in South Africa] at the time."

Kane Williamson is the best player in the world at the moment: Dane Piedt

"I bowled a beauty of a delivery to Tom Latham, no disrespect to him, but Kane Williamson, in my opinion, is the best player in the world at the moment," he said. "Having to watch him from the side in Mount Maunganui, the way he goes about his business, that one for me was the best one. It's always nice getting the big fish but it will mean nothing if we don't get over the line in the end."