Last Updated on 4 months by Charbel Coorey
7 young South African cricketers to watch out for in the next decade | 7 young Proteas who we could see feature in the national side over the next decade
Between the 2006/07 and 2017/18 seasons, the Proteas played in 41 Test series. Of those 41, they won 28, drew eight and lost just five, a record that can only be outdone by the Australian side from the 90’s and early 2000’s.
Since then, however, South Africa have won just one of their last five Test series. The four series losses came in the form of a 2-0 whitewash against a struggling Sri Lankan side (both home and away), a 3-0 away whitewash to a strong Indian side, and 1-3 loss to the vulnerable English side in our own backyard.
I agree that the strength of a cricket side is cyclical, and that ‘rebuilding’ phases are inevitable and something that every cricket team has gone through. The post-2007 Australian side is a good example. Having said that, I believe that the issues within South African cricket go far beyond the retirement of Smith, Amla, Kallis, de Viliers, Boucher and Steyn. An article for another time perhaps…
In the meantime, with all the gaping holes that seem to exist in our Test side, I’ve hand picked seven youngsters (23 or younger who have yet to play Test cricket for South Africa) who we could see feature in the national side over the next decade.
Also read other Daniel Orsmond articles on CricBlog!
- Opinion: Post-Isolation South Africa Test XI
- Global Trophy: Too little, too late for South Africa?
- Which team has the best bowling attack in Test cricket?
- Top 5 best South Africa Tests since 2000
7. Lutho Sipamla
The 22-year-old speedster from the Eastern Cape is the most capped player on the list, having featured in a handful of ODIs and T20Is for the Proteas. With the mass exodus of fast bowlers over the last few years, including the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Kyle Abbott and Duanne Olivier, there has been a lot of speculation about who could potentially share the workload with Rabada, Ngidi and Nortje across all formats.
Lutho Sipamla has put up his hand at a domestic level and although that form hasn’t necessarily carried through to the national side, he has held his own against the best in the world.
He undoubtedly has all the raw ingredients necessary to become an international fast bowler but has yet to refine his skills. I believe that he will likely also pick up an extra yard or two of pace over the next four to five years to become a more complete player. As it stands, I am excited by the prospect of having a 26-year-old Nortje, 25-year-old Rabada, a 24-year-old Ngidi and a 22-year-old Sipamla in the Proteas fast bowling arsenal.
6. Sinethemba Qeshile
Born in King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape, Sinethemba Qeshile attended Hudson Park High School, one of two major cricketing power houses in the area; the other being Selborne of course. Qeshile played provincial cricket all throughout high school and earned a place in the Border Khaya Majola ‘coke week’ side for three consecutive years.
Qeshile was omitted from the South African squad in the U19 Cricket World Cup but went on to make his franchise debut for the Warriors in 2018, at the tender age of 19.
His 2018/19 4-day campaign for the Warriors was exceptional as the young man went on to finish as the 5th leading run scorer of the season, notching up 735 runs at an average of 52.50, while also keeping wicket.
The youngster continues to impress with the bat, but appears to have fallen out of favor with selectors. Personally, I’d say that has a lot more to do with the quality of wicket-keeper batsmen in the country than it does with his ability as a cricketer. But, at the age of 21, I have no doubt that he will continue to pile on the runs in what looks like a powerful Warriors batting line up.
5. Wandile Makwetu
After a very short and uneventful stint with the Pretoria based Northerns and Titans, Makwetu made the move to Bloemfontein to play for the Free State as well as the Knights.
It looks to have been a good career move for the 21-year-old former SA U19 captain and keeper thus far. His 2019/20 campaign saw him thrown into the deep end of the franchise system by being asked to not only keep wicket and bat in the middle order, but also to lead the side on a number of occasions in the absence of Pite van Biljon.
He went on to score 342 runs at an average of 57 in the 4-day format for the Knights. At the same time, he caught the eyes and ears of not only fans of South African cricket, but of the men at the top of Cricket South Africa as evident by his ‘Newcomer of the season’ award at this years annual CSA award ceremony.
As previously mentioned, the plethora of quality keeper-batsmen in South African cricket at the moment has seen Makwetu left out of the Proteas 45-man high performance squad. But, I have no doubt that with another season or two under his belt, he will develop into the cricketer that we all know he can be – a cricketer that is ready to take the gloves at a national level and compete with the best that world cricket has to offer.
4. Raynard van Tonder
The former SA U19 captain scored 843 runs in the 2019/20 franchise season at an average of 70.25, which included two hundreds (one being a double) and five fifties. He was 138 runs ahead of his nearest competitor Eddie Moore (705 at 50.54), who too had a fantastic season, but no other player dominated a single discipline to the same extent as the 21-year-old former Grey College pupil.
His heroics with the bat were not enough to earn him player of the season at the annual CSA cricket award ceremony held on July 3rd, but it was enough to see the youngster included in the Proteas ‘high performance’ squad.
I am hesitant to make certain claims about his ability as a player, given that he only has one full season of 4-day cricket under his belt. But, with the uncertainty in the Proteas camp, particularly in the top order, another season of runs could easily see him thrust onto the national scene.
3. Gerald Coetzee
At only 19 years old, Gerald Coetzee is the youngest name on this list. The former SA U19 speedster ‘skipped’ the semi-professional circuit altogether and was immediately handed the new ball for Knights where he more than held his own against the best that South Africa has to offer. The youngster was unfortunately injured four games into the season but was able to claim 17 scalps at an average of 24.70.
He has been clocked in excess of 145 km/h with the new ball which is almost unprecedented in a 19-year-old. I have no doubt that with the right coaching staff around him, and barring any injuries, South Africa may have a world class fast bowler in the next three or four years. In addition to his raw pace, Coetzee appears to be highly competitive and passionate; his level of maturity (both when he plays and carries himself) is also something that you don’t see too often from teenagers who have been thrust onto the big scene.
2. Kyle Verreynne
The 23-year-old, educated at Wynberg Boys High, is the most experienced domestic player on this list having completed three full seasons of 4-day cricket for the Cape Town based Cobras franchise. In those three seasons (27 games), the youngster has notched up 1714 runs at an average of 48.97 (while also keeping wicket).
His form saw him called up to the national side to feature in three ODI matches against Australia earlier in 2020, where he gave off the impression of having played international cricket for a number of years. He looked fairly comfortable against a world renowned fast bowling unit that is comprised of left and right-arm quicks Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.
Verreynne will undoubtedly have his sights set on the Test side, which gives Mark Boucher the option of allowing Quinton de Kock to drop the gloves and move up the order where South Africa have left a lot to be desired. The youngster has been tipped as one of, if not the handiest gloveman around, and could be the solution to one of the many problems that the South African Test side currently faces.
1. Grant Roelofsen
The former KES and SA U19 wicket keeper batsman started his career playing for Gauteng. But, after an uneventful 2016/17 season, he decided to make the move to Natal where he would go on to play 19 games for the Inland side, scoring 1374 runs at an average of 57.25, which earned him a 4-day debut for the Dolphins in the 2018/2019 season.
In the 2019/20 season, Roelofsen cemented his place in the Dolphins side in all formats, finishing as the leading run scorer in the Momentum One Day cup (588 runs at 65.33 in 10) which saw his scoop the MODC player of the year award at the annual CSA cricket award ceremony.
In addition to his ability with the bat at the top of the order in the shorter format, Roelofsen (while keeping wicket) was able to notch up 575 runs in the 4-day format, at an average 44.23, which proved to be the most runs scored by any wicket keeper during the season.
Since the retirement of Hashim Amla, the Proteas have yet to really find an opening partner for Quinton de Kock in the 50-over format. Hendricks, Markram and Malan have all been used (with mixed success), but with another season of runs behind him, I believe that Roelfosen is not too far away from contention.
Written by Daniel Orsmond. Follow Daniel on Twitter today.
Also read other Daniel Orsmond articles on CricBlog!
- Opinion: Post-Isolation South Africa Test XI
- Global Trophy: Too little, too late for South Africa?
- Which team has the best bowling attack in Test cricket?
- Top 5 best South Africa Tests since 2000
