Ten days ago Connor Esterhuizen wasn't among South African cricket's favoured few. At 24 he hadn't played international matches at any level, had scored just two half-centuries and never more than 69 in his 34 T20 innings, and had a strike rate in the format of 126.04.

Those aren't arresting numbers for someone who batted at Nos. 3, 4 and 5 for almost two-thirds of those innings. So far, so meh.

Much was and still is being made of Esterhuizen's SA20 performance, but the hype is misplaced. In the latest edition he reached 50 only once in 11 innings and scored his runs at an underwhelming strike rate of 105.73. A year earlier he raised his strike rate to 133.98, but had just four trips to the crease. He was granted one more the year before that, when he had a best effort of 32 and a strike rate of 103.84.

Why, then, did Esterhuizen crack the nod with Shukri Conrad and Patrick Moroney for South Africa's T20I series in New Zealand?

One answer to the question was that he probably wouldn't have been picked had 12 of the 15 members of the World Cup squad not been rested. Quinton de Kock's break was, in a different way, also Esterhuizen's break.

Esterhuizen himself provided another answer on debut in Mount Maunganui two Sundays ago, when he opened the batting for only the ninth time in his T20 career and scored 45 not out off 48 to guide South Africa to a seven-wicket win with 20 balls to spare.

Ah. Maybe that's why he was selected. But he followed that promising beginning with scores of 8 and 15 - batting at No. 3 in the latter match - in Hamilton and Auckland, both times caught playing loose strokes.

Esterhuizen remained at No. 3 for the next game, in Wellington, and made 57 off 36. That's a strike rate of 158.33. An innings later, in Christchurch on Wednesday, he did exponentially better with a 33-ball 75 - a strike rate of 227.27.

Better yet, his success wasn't purely personal. Whenever Esterhuizen scored significantly, South Africa won. When he didn't, they lost. On Wednesday, his skilful, steady assault on the bowling - replete with almost three-quarters of his runs flying in fours and sixes - did much to clinch victory in the deciding match of the series.

That's what a good selection looks like. The stats didn't justify picking Esterhuizen, but clearly the decision to do so was correct. Take a bow Conrad and Moroney.

"I've tried to take my game to another level," Esterhuizen said after the Wellington match. "I think for most people the talent is always there, but it's hard to use it and the decision-making that comes with it. That, I think, is the key the higher you go in this game.

"The second thing is how to deal with failures, because this game is a game of failures. When you succeed you need to take it in. But how you deal with failures the higher you go will stand you in good stead."

The series had little big picture relevance and context. But on Tuesday Conrad spoke of the rubber as "an invaluable exercise" for players in Esterhuizen's league; those who haven't yet made the grade in a South Africa shirt but could make it count were they given the opportunity.

Sometimes players don't kick down the door to cricket's grandest stages. Sometimes they graft hard in lesser arenas and in training and hope for all their worth they are given the chance they think - but don't know - they deserve. Sometimes all they need is that chance. Sometimes, but not always, the chance is granted. Sometimes, but not often, they take it.

De Kock will likely displace Esterhuizen in the near future, but Esterhuizen is more than eight years younger. And who's to say he is competing only for the wicketkeeper-batter position? He'll be perfectly happy playing solely as a batter, if that's the deal.

This is what happens when you open doors for yourself, however gently. They stay open, and cause others to swing wide, also.

Esterhuizen has done all that, and more. The trick, now, is to keep doing it.