“I came out thinking bad thoughts,” Keaton Jennings says as he remembers the difficult background to a decision which, seven months later, reveals much about his character as a 24‑year‑old Test cricketer. “I’d just walked out of a three-hour auditing exam, thinking I had failed. I flicked my phone on and there were so many missed calls and 180 messages. I’m like: ‘Whoa, hang on.’ I flipped through everything and saw what had happened. We had been relegated and docked 48 points.”
“We” means Durham, the county which has done so much to help Jennings’s career since he first arrived at the Riverside in 2011 as an academy player and, then, the captain of South Africa’s Under-19 team. Last season, with Jennings voted the Cricket Writers’ Player of the Year after he scored more runs than any other batsman in England, Durham had finished fourth in Division One. In early October, just as Jennings was sitting his latest exam in pursuit of a bachelor of commerce degree, the shocking news was confirmed. Durham had been punished for needing a £3.8m bailout from the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Qualifying through residency and with his mum having been born in Sunderland, Jennings was on the brink of being selected for the England Lions. Of course he had no idea that, soon afterwards, he would be called into the Test squad as a replacement and score an assured century on his England debut against India in Mumbai.
Reeling from the crushing fate suffered by his county, some cricketers might have called their agents and said “What do I do?” or “Get me out of here”. Jennings, however, does not have an agent. He represents himself with some help from his father, Ray, the former wicketkeeper and ex-national coach of South Africa.
This unusual approach also carries hard-edged pragmatism. When he negotiated his contact with Durham, Jennings had insisted on a clause allowing him to leave the county if they were relegated but he chose to remain loyal. “It was a tough time for Durham. But tough people stand up when tough times are around. There are a lot of tough people at this club like Colly [Paul Collingwood] and it felt right to stand with them. And when Sir Ian Botham came on board [as chairman] it was easier. Somebody with his knowledge and aura has so much to offer. He chatted to me and my dad and that settled us. We’re going to give it a good crack this year. The vibe is actually brilliant with a young and fresh group.”
Durham sweetened Jennings’s decision by making him captain of their 50-over team, while Collingwood remains in charge of the county side. “Colly’s an incredible human being. So, with him leading us, the team are 100% upbeat. If we hadn’t got the 48-point penalty maybe we could have bounced straight back up but those are the cards we were dealt.”
Jennings played a different hand in choosing to commit himself to England. It is a decision which, guided by his father, a proud South African, is again steeped in pragmatism. England offers Jennings greater stability and more opportunity to carve out a significant Test career. Some will accuse him of being mercenary but Jennings is a fine batsman, with a strong mentality, and there already is speculation he could become an England captain. It seems significant he was asked to lead the Lions on their recent tour of Sri Lanka.
This season, he has continued his impressive run-making with his past five scores being 102no, 87, 30no, 79 and 139 – with the latest hundred being scored on Monday in a 50-over match against Warwickshire. He is likely to retain his place in the Test side against South Africa this summer – when debate around his nationality will intensify.
“I expected the negativity,” Jennings says when recalling the response to his first Test century. “But I didn’t expect the quantity or some of the criticism to go so far. Lots of people got involved in social media – including really big names – and it caused a massive ripple effect. People were arguing for and against me. Some articles had nasty words, some articles had really nice words. The majority were nice but it’s hard not to think of the nasty 20%. At the same time, social media has given people a voice to reach those they admire or hate. You’ve got to take the good with the bad and I know I made the right decision.”
How will South Africa’s players react? “It’s probably divided in terms of being understanding or being unhappy with me. It doesn’t really bother me what they think to be totally honest. I’m sure they’re not going to be too friendly on the field, which is the way it should be.”
Jennings confirms his close links with many of the South Africans. He even opened the batting for years with Quinton de Kock at school in Johannesburg. “Quinton’s an interesting character, and a really nice bloke. He’s also seriously talented. I remember him making a deal with our head of sport. If he got a hundred the hostel master would give him a free weekend so he could leave on a Friday afternoon. There weren’t too many matches he didn’t get hundreds.
“I played with Vernon Philander. I obviously played with Cooky [Stephen Cook, with whom Jennings opened the batting at Gauteng and now at Durham]. Cooky’s family have done a lot for me. Morne Morkel grew up playing for my dad so I was lucky to be a little sprog running around with drinks for Morne and [his brother] Albie, who put us in touch with Durham. Albie was the link to me moving here.”
His face lights up when he returns to memories of Mumbai and his Test hundred soon after arriving in India. “All the emotions poured out of me – pride, happiness, relief and ‘You’ve done it!’ I had reached a point every kid dreams of. It was sensational.”
Jennings’s choice of shot also says much about him – because, where he was once a cautious batsman, he reached his century with a reverse sweep. “I play it well and last season I scored lots of runs doing it. A few days before the Test we’d practised on the square and I’d nailed it nine times out of 10. But a camera caught me top-edging one and it hit me in the face. A tweet went out of that shot and people said: ‘What’s he doing playing that shot?’ That’s where doubt gets created from opinions but it’s still one of my best shots.
“Just before I got the hundred I played and missed. I thought: ‘I can’t get caught at slip on 96. I’d rather go out playing a reverse sweep because I’d backed myself. So when the chance came it felt like a now or never moment. I went for it and thankfully it hit the middle of the bat.”
Jennings beams before becoming more reflective. “One of the biggest things that came from it was the unconditional love from my family. My dad never got the chance to play Test cricket [because of the sports boycott during apartheid]. My brother Dylan was a first-class cricketer and also never got the chance. The love and support they gave me – when they could have been very selfish or bitter – was special. It gives me goosebumps even now.
“My dad could have come to India – where he is loved [because he coached in the IPL] – but he didn’t want to distract me. That was incredibly selfless. I didn’t realise the impact my father had in India but on my first night with England we went to a dinner where there were sponsors and big [Indian] stars. For two hours I got grilled on my dad. ‘What’s his favourite food? What time does he get up? What does he do in the gym?’ I realised then the impact he’d had in India and his decision not to come was to take the heat off me.
“So my parents were in Mauritius watching on TV. I was on 96 and their TV went blank. My dad was pacing up and down outside. Next thing a text came through with clapping hands. Then he knew. When the power came back I was on 110 – but got out three balls later.”
Jennings laughs – as he does at a reminder that he lasted one ball in the second innings. “I walked off and said: ‘Mother Cricket, you have a sick sense of humour.’ A family friend sent me a text: ‘A few people have got 100 and nought on debut. But you’re the only guy that’s got 100 and a first-baller. Well done.’ That made me laugh.”
In his only other Test, in Chennai, Jennings scored one and a more reassuring 54. He works closely with his uncle, Ken, a sports psychologist and sounds impressively philosophical. “One of Ken’s biggest things is you keep your lows high and your highs low. If you get 100, have a beer or a run and go to bed. Do the exact same thing if you get naught. That’s really helped me.
“I also remember a conversation with my dad. He said: ‘If you’re going to play cricket worrying about getting out or being dropped you might as well give up. Go do something you actually enjoy.’ I realised then: ‘Let me just enjoy it. If I’m going to defend, let me defend. If I’m going to drive, let me drive. Just commit to my choices.’ I’ve done that and everything has clicked.”
Jennings admires Kumar Sangakkara, one of the more intelligent men in world cricket, and he takes every chance he can to talk to the magisterial Sri Lankan. “I remember having a chat with Kumar in Sussex. He told me: ‘You’re allowed to get out and make a mistake.’ It’s obviously very simple but it was powerful from Kumar. I was lucky enough to have lunch with him in Sri Lanka. We went to his restaurant, Ministry of Crab, and I loved the fact he has this and so many other interests. Sanga has played for 20 years and got millions of 100s. But he’s such an interesting bloke. He’s a serious human being.”
Sangakkara has also given Jennings the confidence to be open about his ambitions. His overriding goal is to score a huge amount of Test runs but he does not flinch when asked about a possible future role as England captain. “I’ve always enjoyed captaincy but Rooty [Joe Root] is the right person and he could do it for the next 10 years. I’d love to play under him but if the opportunity came down the line I wouldn’t say no. It all depends on performance. To lead any side is a privilege. I’ve got the captaincy at Durham for the next couple of weeks [of 50-overs cricket] which is exciting.”
Jennings looks across a deserted Riverside and the anguish of relegation and a 48-point penalty seems forgotten. “My dad texted this morning. He said: ‘Are you satisfied yet?’ There was also another saying, ‘How hungry are you?’ He’s always pushing to make sure you’re not satisfied and you’re hungry for more and more. And that’s how I am. I always want to get better.”
