CRICKET PROSPECTS
ZUBAYR HAMZA
Proteas selection convenor Linda Zondi has an idea of what the future looks like. It doesn't include him because his term comes to a close at the end of next year's Cricket World Cup in England.
The same applies to the likes of Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis as their ages aren't going to rewind.
This is where Zubayr Hamza fits in as a potential middle-order to no 3 if he makes the international grade. His first-class statistics (3,574 runs at 48) leave you in no doubt about how good he really is.
However, there have been plenty of talented first-class batsmen who failed to make the step up to international level.
Hamza would love to ensure he's not bracketed with the likes of Graeme Hick, Mark Ramprakash and JP Duminy as players of phenomenal talent but without the requisite temperament to allow their skills to take them very far.
Also, AB de Villiers leaves a massive gap that will change how SA will approach their batting in the next two to three years.
Temba Bavuma and Theunis de Bruyn will probably be the no 3 and no 4 candidates once the seniors move on, and the best place for a young batsman to prove himself is at no 5 or no 6.
Being a top-order batsman at the Cape Cobras, Hamza should have an idea of how to combat international bowling attacks from lower down the order.
When he was confronted by Australia's brutal bowling attack of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in a first-class game earlier this year, he handled himself very well with scores of 44 and 28 on a sluggish Willowmoore Park pitch in Benoni.
He also scored runs for SA "A" in India during the year and that's catapulted him above the likes of Pieter Malan and Pite van Biljon, who scored mountains of runs this season.
Should he get a Test against Pakistan's strong bowling attack, it'll be an indication of his aptitude to survive and even thrive at the highest level. The wheel will turn for the Proteas in terms of succession plans and it's clear Zondi has one in place. Some players will be aggrieved at being passed over and justifiably so but Test cricket is a test of time and that's what Hamza has in his possession. He'll have to make it count in 2019.
JANNEMAN MALAN
He's considered the best of the Malan brothers who are all first-class cricketers. This season for the Cape Cobras he's shown glimpses of why he's so highly rated. He churned out runs for the North West Dragons in three-day cricket but somehow never seemed to crack the nod at the Highveld Lions. He ended up scoring a century against them in the Four-Day Franchise series.
The top-order spots may be locked down in the interim but he's a batsman of serious talent and intent. There's more to come from him if he applies himself, which he did against the Warriors in their recent four-day game.
SINETHEMBA QESHILE
This young batsman was unlucky not to get a game for the Jozi Stars in the Mzansi Super League but it was an indication of how highly rated he is and he's already established himself as a first pick at the Warriors.
At 19, he still has a long way to go but at Craven Week at St Stithians last year, a South African Schools cricketing scout went specifically to the tournament to ensure he wasn't picked up by any of the rugby unions when Qeshile was representing Border. That's how highly rated he is and that's not lost on Rivash Gobind and Mfuneko Ngam in Port Elizabeth.
RAYNARD VAN TONDER
When you've got a first-class highest score of 250* when you're only 20, you're bound to turn heads. That's what Van Tonder has done for Free State in the three-day competition and he graduated to the Knights franchise side. He started his first-class career slowly with only 870 runs in 15 matches but he's got two tons and four 50s. He's clearly got the ability of going big and the Knights may have found themselves a gem in this right-handed top-order batsman despite the tough competition he faces nationally and at franchise level.
LUTHO SIPAMLA
He wasn't just opening the bowling for the Tshwane Spartans, he's now the go-to bowler for the Warriors in the Four-Day Franchise series. That's the kind of rapid development a player can undergo when he's trusted. He's a bit off the international pace but with Mfuneko Ngam at the Warriors, he's in the hands of one of the best bowling coaches in SA. He's got the pace, the lateral movement and the intelligence to be a bowler of international class. The Eastern Cape is now firmly ensconced as the primary development hub of black fast bowlers.
KYLE VERREYNNE
The Cape Cobras have been in need of a wicketkeeper-batsman who actually bats better than he looks.
That's what they have in Verreynne, who's locked down the keeping spot in the Cape this season. He showed SA what he's capable of with a superb 50 in the opening Mzansi Super League and such was the faith in his keeping ability, Ashwell Prince was able to play Quinton de Kock as a specialist batsman.
With England showing that batting competency can help a player hold his own in their Test team regardless of keeping ability, Verreynne may have a future if he continues to apply himself.
WANDILE MAKWETU
He's not just famous for being Kimi Makwetu's son, he's a very good cricketer who, if he continues on his upward trajectory, will stand on his own and not on his auditor-general dad's shoulders.
He prospered alongside Van Tonder at this year's Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand and a number of players in that team like Thando Ntini, Akhona Mnyaka, Kgaudisa Molefe, Jason Niemand, Matt Breetzke, Jade de Klerk, Gerald Coetzee and Jiveshan Pillay could prosper at higher levels.
The maturity Makwetu showed in the 99* and 60 he made against the West Indies and Pakistan were far beyond someone his age. There's a serious player here.
RUGBY PROSPECTS
APHELELE FASSI
Fassi's more than just the fast utility back who reeled in Aphiwe Dyantyi in a Currie Cup game for the Sharks against the Golden Lions. He's a multiskilled and versatile footballer who played the majority of his rugby at 10 and 12 at Dale College. How coach Robert du Preez juggles this talent alongside that of Curwin Bosch is important because he's reluctant to use Bosch at 10.
The Sharks also have world-class outside backs in S'bu Nkosi, Makazole Mapimpi, Lionel Zas and Lwazi Mvovo who can be rotated at will. Maybe if Du Preez moved Bosch to 10 and his son to 12, there would be room for Fassi to thrive at the back.
IMMANUEL "MANIE" LIBBOK
If the Bulls are looking for a player who can give Handre Pollard the time and space to thrive at 12, Libbok's their ace.
Their newly appointed Super Rugby coach Pote Human entrusted Libbok with the no 10 jersey in the Currie Cup for the Blue Bulls with a great deal of success. This confidence can be extended to Super Rugby if Libbok is given the same kind of backing. Also, Libbok allows Pollard to experiment at 12 because Libbok's more than competent.
There's some serious talent here that SA Rugby saw in the Currie Cup - he's a player that needs to be looked after.
JOSEPH DWEBA
Here's another player who can help alleviate the hooker crises that sometimes afflict SA Rugby. He's an abrasive and robust hooker who has thrived with game time at the Cheetahs in the Currie Cup and in the Pro14.
He played with Pollard in the 2014 Under-20 Junior Springbok side that went to the final of the Under-20 World Cup and acquitted himself very well against an England team that contained lineout tyro Maro Itoje.
He's been blighted by a lack of playing opportunities but he's taken his chances this year. He's found a very good rugby home in Bloemfontein despite the Cheetahs' struggles.
FOOTBALL PROSPECTS
LEBO MOTHIBA - MAIN PROSPECT FOR 2019
That 2018 has been brilliant for leading South African striker Lebo Mothiba is not in doubt for his admirers.
Mothiba gained attention in the second half of last season when his six goals in 17 matches helped his former French Ligue 1 club, Lille, escape relegation.
Before coming back to Lille, Mothiba was loaned to Ligue 2 club Valenciennes where 10 goals in 33 matches sealed progression to the top flight league in France.
The cash-strapped club could not hold on to Mothiba for long, eventually releasing him to fellow Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg, who had to shell out a record transfer fee of R135m.
Mothiba is already paying off that transfer fee at Strasbourg, scoring seven goals in the 17 league matches he's played for them in the first half of the current campaign.
For the 22-year-old 2018 has been a big year and there's talk that English clubs are already knocking at the door for him.
Mothiba himself has not hidden the fact that his long-term goal is to play in the English Premier League.
"For me all this is like a dream come true, playing in one of the biggest leagues in the world," Mothiba told the South African press in Johannesburg in November ahead of Bafana Bafana's clash against Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
"For now I just have to keep focus at Strasbourg and keep scoring goals. If other teams want me I'll just leave that to my agent."
Mothiba's impressive form this season has not only been at his club. He also gave his all for Bafana in their ongoing task to qualify for next year's Afcon in a yet-to-be-decided host country.
In his six Bafana appearances, Mothiba has scored four goals, including two against Seychelles in that 6-0 victory and one in the 1-1 home draw against Nigeria, both in Afcon qualifiers this year.
Next year presents another interesting scenario for Mothiba with Bafana coach Stuart Baxter pinning his hopes on him getting more goals in both the decisive clash against Libya in the qualifiers and the Afcon tournament itself, if they eventually make the cut.
THEMBI KGATLANA - OUR SECOND-BIGGEST PROSPECT FOR 2019
Not many people were familiar with Kgatlana's name at the start of 2018 but 12 months later all that has changed.
Kgatlana was a sensation at the Africa Women's Cup of Nations in Ghana where her exploits won her the Player of the Tournament and Top Goal Scorer gongs, having scored five goals on the way to helping Banyana Banyana qualify for the first time for the Fifa Women's World Cup, which will be held in France next year.
The Randfontein-born striker will again be the centre of attraction in France where Banyana have to go through Spain, China and Germany to make it to the second round of next year's showpiece...