Born and raised in Cape Town, the pull of witnessing Proteas history in the form of a first ICC title is understandable. Similarly, Lategan’s performances so far in April explains why the ECB is keeping tabs on a 19-year old who is now committed to qualifying for England.
A dominating left-hander, who acknowledges the neatness in taking inspiration from Kevin Pietersen – “him being South African and also playing for England is quite funny, but I think he was way ahead of his time” – Lategan is considered one of the most-talented young batters in the country. A sentiment underlined in the admittedly small sample size of the first two matches of the season.
A sharp 65 in his second innings on a poor Lord’s track was a second half-century of the season, taking him to 234 runs at 58.50 so far. Having come into the summer nursing a shoulder issue and unsure if he would make the first XI, he notched a career-best 89 in Worcestershire’s Division Two curtain raiser against a Derbyshire attack led by Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas.
“As an opening batter, once you get in, you want to go on for your team,” he says, reflecting on the disappointment that prevails with those scores, just five matches into his first-class career. “Because getting in is the hardest part.
“It’s a bit disappointing not being able to kick on and get a big one in one of these first four innings. But I’m not going to act like I haven’t had more than my share of opportunities; I got dropped a few times, few of close lbws. I guess it goes round in roundabouts.”
Lategan rose to relative prominence last season in Worcestershire’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup glory, his 272 runs at 54.50 coming as part of a productive opening partnership with Pears stalwart Brett D’Oliveira. He aced the eye-test immediately with an emphatic style, standing tall in most strokes, and striking clean, notably during a match-winning 78 against Somerset in the 50-over semi-final.
A Championship debut followed that September, by which point England’s interest had been piqued. On an ancestral visa through his mother and playing for Worcestershire as an overseas player, Lategan was ineligible for any involvement with England Lions or other national representative cricket. Qualification will be ticked off in 2028, when Lategan can apply for indefinite leave to remain – essentially, ‘settlement’ – and, subsequently, British citizenship.
He spent the winter back in South Africa with SA20 franchise MI Cape Town as a local player. With that came rumblings Cricket South Africa was considering luring him back, having primed Lategan to be fast-tracked into their U19 set-up before he moved to the UK four years ago.
That he did not see action in the SA20 means the clock has not reset on becoming English qualified, which insists on a three-year cooling off period for those playing as a local in domestic cricket in a Full Member nation. Those regulations are under review, which could mean any such appearance in the future will not affect Lategan’s timeline.
“A lot has happened so fast,” Lategan says. “Like, it was weird back home with MI Cape Town; I’d grown up watching a lot of these guys and then I’m sharing a team, in the same hotel having breakfast with them, which was really cool.
“All this after Worcestershire give me my first professional contract, having a full cricketer schedule. I feel like last summer, that’s when it switched from basically a fan to a player.”
The journey so far has been guided by ambition but governed by red tape.
In 2022, Lategan swapped Wynberg College – Jacques Kallis’ alma mater – for a scholarship at Brighton College via Mark Davis, former head coach at Sussex and director of cricket at the boarding school.
Sussex were keen on Lategan, but his student visa prevented them from incorporating him into the academy at Hove. Upon moving over to his mother’s British ancestral visa, things became a little easier, but there was little movement at Sussex beyond an offer to play for the second team and the academy without being involved full-time.
Surrey were forthcoming, offering a place on their emerging player programme (EPP). But it was Worcestershire’s commitment with an academy spot and clear progression that led Lategan and his parents to agree they were the best option.
The move to the Midlands was aided by a family friend, who helped Lategan settle in the area, along with his mother, now a teaching assistant at a local state school who adheres to the same rules he does, including spending 210 days in the UK between April and March. With the rest of the family back in Cape Town, the Worcester-based Lategans are very much in this together.
“If I ever have a question, me and my mum go sit down and go through it; what I can do and what I can’t do. It’s very complicated but she is across it well and I do my best to keep up. I just try and stick by the rules, stick by what I’ve been told.”
The reassurance of a full-time contract is not lost on Lategan. Coming out of the academy at the end of a decent 2024 summer, he went back to South Africa for a season with Durbanville Cricket Club, with no deal from Worcestershire, just a promise he would get opportunities to reassert his case.
It did not take long to do that. Second team scores including 86 and 116 against Warwickshire in May and a 95 in a T20 versus Glamorgan brought about a three-year deal last July. But it was during that first part of the summer, with time to spare, that Lategan took up bar work at New Road.
“When I was trialling, I didn’t always have the opportunity to train at the ground, so there was a lot of waiting around. So, instead of being bored at home, I decided to work behind the bar at New Road to earn a bit of money.
“It initially started as me working around the ground and stuff on match days. But it soon transitioned to me doing the bar during a few Blast games.”
He yearns for the opportunity to clear those bars this summer, though acknowledges his overseas status is an impediment. With Pakistan legspinner Usama Mir and Zimbabwe allrounder Sikandar Raza signed for the Vitality Blast, Lategan’s wait for a professional T20 appearance may go on.
“With the overseas situation and us signing two brilliant overseas players, I’m accepting of the fact I probably won’t get much opportunity,” he says.
“It’s disappointing to go into the Blast period knowing I probably won’t play. T20 cricket is a lot of fun and such a big part of English cricket. But you never know what can happen. I’m still going to prepare and train as hard as I can.”
It may please observers that Lategan is a purist at heart. The pull of the red ball, as a punter and a player, is deep.
He returns to it this week against Kent, seeking to build on the learnings from his previous five Championship appearances, and the momentum of the last month. As far as ambitions for the season, there are no numbers – just a better feel for the player he wants to become.
“I’m still learning how I want to approach red-ball cricket. I don’t necessarily have a number at the end of the year that I’d like to have scored or a certain average, but I just want to hold my weight within the first team.
“At the moment it’s probably just learning as I play, developing that relationship with my off stump. I’m on the more aggressive side, so maybe reading the game and seeing what’s needed from me at different moments.
“You know, block a few instead of throwing my hands out to eighth stump!”
