Robin Peterson was the batsman who finally broke South Africa's chasing hoodoo at a World Cup, but his career epitomised the Proteas' mistrust of spinners.
While Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Dane Piedt flourish in the fertile soil laid by the likes of Peterson, the fact that he played in 15 Tests spread over nine years tells how spin was little more than an afterthought for most of his playing days.
Being hit for 28 runs in one over by West Indian batting legend Brian Lara at the Wanderers in 2003 was probably the lowlight of his career.
Peterson played the majority of his 79 ODIs as a holding spinner who could provide a few runs when necessary. But he also had a knack for producing when it counted.
None more so than in the thriller of Nagpur at the 2011 Cricket World Cup where he helped gun down India's 296 with two balls to spare.
The 2011 World Cup was the pinnacle of his ODI career. The slow subcontinent pitches allowed then captain Graeme Smith to play around with his bowlers and open the bowling with Peterson.
The 15 wickets he collected at a measly average of 15.86 with an economy rate of 4.25 highlighted his excellence with the ball in helpful conditions.
It was a pity he encountered none of those in South Africa, where he relied on flight, guile and control to keep an end quiet.
Peterson was a better cricketer than his statistics suggest. But his career was ill-timed.
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