Teen sensation Maphaka gets first Proteas call-up

Teenage fast bowling sensation Kwena Maphaka will get his first taste of senior international cricket during the Proteas’ three-match T20 series against the West Indies next week. 

Maphaka’s meteoric rise from the junior ranks to the Indian Premier League (IPL) last summer has already created speculation about him being part of the Proteas squad for the home ODI World Cup in 2027. While the series against the West Indies is in a different format, his selection is a major step in that process. 

Still just 18, Maphaka, was the leading wicket-taker at the U-19 World Cup in South Africa earlier this year, claiming 21 wickets, which included three five-wicket hauls. After playing for the Lions in the domestic T20 Challenge, Maphaka was called up to the IPL by the Mumbai Indians, for whom he played twice.

Maphaka will finish matric this year. He’d already been contracted to the SA20 by the Paarl Royals. It was agreed he would not play last summer because of the junior World Cup but he is set to be one of the primary faces of the third edition of that tournament next season. 

“Kwena has been identified as a player with significant potential and this tour presents a great opportunity to include him in the Proteas environment and gain valuable international experience,” South Africa limited overs coach Rob Walter said. 

There are a number of changes in the squad from the group that finished runners-up at the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in June, with household names such as David Miller, Kagiso Rabada and Heinrich Klaasen among those rested. 

Doing so ensures Walter sticks to the long-held policy of providing opportunities to players who have performed well domestically, thereby widening the pool of talent available for selection for ICC limited overs tournaments. 

The other new face in the squad is Jason Smith, the Dolphins all-rounder who was part of the 2014 U-19 squad that won the junior World Cup that year alongside Rabada and Proteas T20 captain Aiden Markram. 

It’s taken Smith much longer to fulfil the potential he showed in that event and after struggling with weight of expectations during his time at Western Province, he made the move to Durban, where he has become a central figure for the Dolphins. 

“Jason’s recent performances have been impressive and his ability to contribute with bat and ball adds valuable depth to our line-up,” Walter said.

Though he starred as an all-rounder in the junior ranks, Smith has not bowled as often for the Dolphins as he did for WP and the Cape Cobras, choosing to focus on his batting. While that part of his game has improved, leading to his selection, Walter is understood to be keen to deepen the seam bowling all-rounder pool to help balance the starting XI, thus requiring Smith to focus more on his bowling.

Patrick Kruger and Wiaan Mulder, in the squad for this series, are also in the frame for the all-rounder position.

Marco Jansen wasn’t considered because he is in the midst of a “conditioning block” as part of workload management, while leg-spinner Nqaba Peter, who made his debut against the West Indies in a short series before the T20 World Cup, is undergoing rehab for a shoulder niggle. 

“This tour allows us to continue developing our player pool while maintaining the core of experienced players. It will also expose our emerging talent to quality international opposition, similar to the last time we played against the West Indies in May,” Walter said. 

South Africa T20I squad: Aiden Markram (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.

Schedule:

First T20 — Friday, August 23 (9pm SA time), Trinidad and Tobago

Second T20 — Sunday, August 25 (9pm SA time), Trinidad and Tobago

Third T20 — Tuesday, August 27, (9pm SA time), Trinidad and Tobago