Given that he once had half his skull removed, Courtney Kruger is lucky to be playing cricket in the hot noon sun in Colombo. His is an inspirational story of courage and determination to keep the flame alive, a story which is commonplace among athletes. Four years ago, Kruger was returning home after representing Hong Kong at the ACC Trophy in Kuala Lumpur when he started to get constant headaches. A check with the doctors realised the worst fears - he had an abscess in his brain.
He had a couple of operations and things began to get really dicey when the swelling in his brain resulted in a build-up of pressure that led to doctors deciding they had to saw off half his skull to relieve the pain and stress. They put it back three months later and there was a happy ending. But listening to his parents talk about it, Kruger realises how bad it was at one stage.
'I didn't realise how serious it was, but looking back, it is quite scary to think about what could have happened,' a cheerful Kruger said this week in Colombo, where he is with the Hong Kong team preparing for the ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament to be played in Hong Kong later this month.
From being bedridden for almost half a year to be out playing cricket once more is nothing short of a miracle, but Kruger says in his mind there was never any doubt he would put the pads on again. It is a good thing as far as the Hong Kong team are concerned, too: the 22-year-old batsman is now seen as a future captain. He is deputy to Najeeb Amar for the World Cricket League tournament and is expected to take over the reins once Najeeb calls it quits.
Kruger's story is an example of a sportsman's determination to stick to the game he loves and play on, surmounting all obstacles. There are many stories like his, all over Hong Kong and in other sports. The pursuit of glory is a common denominator for athletes. The struggle to strive to reach the top can come in many forms but the familiar thread is the hunger to achieve distinction for your country.
Kruger's parents are South African. He studied in Hong Kong and went through the system here. He now regards Hong Kong as his home. He says he 'looks forward to the honour of leading my country'.
The Hong Kong cricket team comprises many of his ilk. There are players of Pakistani and Indian nationality, who have either been born in Hong Kong or who have lived most their lives here, carrying the flag with pride. It is not something unique to cricket; many other sports also have 'outsiders' representing Hong Kong. This is the beauty of this multi-cultural city of many races and religions.