HD Ackerman

A highly talented top-order batsman at Western Province, Ackerman showed his ability to dominate a bowling attack early on, but also developed a reputation for throwing his wicket away when just getting set. A tour of the England with South Africa A, on the back of a good 1995-96 domestic season, saw him mature and he won his Test call-up in the home series against Pakistan in 1997-98. He was given a good run in the side - two Tests against Pakistan were followed by two against Sri Lanka - but he failed to turn potential into runs and was dropped. He remained on the fringes of selection - in 2001 he was drafted into the squad in Zimbabwe - without getting another chance. At the end of the 2002-03 season he moved to Gauteng where he was appointed captain (he had already led Western Province) before surprisingly resigning early in the 2004-05 season. He opted to leave South Africa behind and headed to England as a Kolpak player after being offered the captaincy of Leicestershire. However, is form with the bat suffered and in 2006 he moved back into the ranks as Jeremy Snape took charge and the decision quickly paid off as he smashed over 1800 runs in the Championship, including a career-best 309 not out.
Martin Williamson September 2006