'It's about saying I gave it a shot': Proteas hopeful David Bedingham returns to Western Province

Former Western Province batsman David Bedingham will return to the franchise for the 2023/24 domestic season.

READ | Faf du Plessis boasts IPL's Orange Cap as he marches past 400-run mark

The elegant right-hander, who is hoping to stake a claim for a place in the Proteas squad, left Cape Town in 2020 to play for Durham in county cricket.

In an interview with the PA news agency, Bedingham said that he hoped to play for the Proteas at some stage and believed the time was right to return to South Africa to stake his claim.

"I'd qualify as a local here [England] in another two years but, by that stage, I'll be 31 years old, and while I'd still have some time left, I think my best years are now," Bedingham told the United Kingdom-based PA news agency.

"That's why I'm committed to playing for South Africa. I've made up my mind - another two years just seems too late.

"If I am doing well and scoring runs and I can't play for England or South Africa, that's just a waste. I'm not sure if I'll do well at that level - nobody can be sure - but I want to give myself that chance.

"You don’t want to be 33, looking back, wishing you'd given it a shot rather than waiting, waiting, waiting and finding your best years are gone.

"It's about saying I gave it a shot. Just getting to that stage and seeing if I can handle the pressure, the glamour, the lights," said Bedingham.

Bedingham will be joined at Western Province by Mthiwekhaya Nabe, who played for the Warriors last season.

Western Province have lost three players to the Lions, the most high-profile player being Proteas batsman Zubayr Hamza.

He will be joined at the Lions by bowlers Tshepo Moreki and Junaid Dawood.