Jonty Rhodes and Herschelle Gibbs were impressed by the hunger within the National Academy squad.

The former Proteas batsmen provided advice and coaching to the Academy squad members over a three-day period ahead of the SA Emerging squad’s tour of Zimbabwe.

Gibbs hailed the Academy as a great stepping-stone for up-and-coming players to hone their skills, which will make for an easier transition to representing the national side.

‘These experiences for players are vital. I’m sure Jonty and myself, when we started out 25-odd years ago, had we had mentors and coaches with international experience, I’m sure it would have benefited us in a big way before we played for the Proteas,’ said Gibbs.

Rhodes, meanwhile, was pleased with the group’s willingness to learn and absorb information, which was evident from the questions the players asked.

‘I was warned by the coaches here that these are guys that are hungry to learn and that has been reflected in the questions they ask. They’ve asked a lot of good questions, which has been the key here,’ Rhodes remarked.

The SA Emerging team will face Zimbabwe in two four-day matches and three List A unofficial ODIs.

Photo: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images