Cape born, Dayaan Galiem is one of South Africa’s rising stars.
The 20-year-old has made a seamless transition from amateur to professional cricket over the past three years after an impressive junior career which saw him turn out for South Africa Under-19.
The former Rondebosch Boys High pupil who is a graduate of the Gary Kirsten Cricket, First Team 2 First Class (FT2FC) Programme is now all set to mix it up at the first ever, T20 Global League.
Galiem was picked by the Cape Town Knight Riders alongside superstars like JP Duminy, Dale Steyn and England spinner, Adil Rashid.
GKC Head Coach, Ryan Cook praised Galiem’s hard work over the past few seasons and backs the youngster to grab the opportunity with open arms.
“It is great that he got picked up. As a youngster it is an amazing break,” Cook said.
Having worked with Galiem during his school days, National Academy and at GKC, Cook believes he has all the attributes to succeed.
“He is a very talented individual with a great work ethic and tactical nous. He is able to bowl quite skillfully, bat in various positions and is also a very handy fielder,” Cook explained.
Galiem’s work at the First Team 2 First Class Programme saw him attend sessions twice a week over a two and a half month period in Cape Town in 2015.
“The programme is about trying to bridge the gap between top school and club players and the first class game. Dayaan has managed to make that jump very quickly,” Cook said.
“I am sure that the FT2FC programme was one of the contributing factors to his success. He has worked closely with our GKC coaching team over the last few years and still comes in for regular one-on-one coaching. We wish him all the best for the tournament and the season ahead,” he concluded.