Jordan Hermann has set the SA20 alight over the last couple of seasons.
Image: Sportzpics
The Proteas have sent a youthful team to New Zealand for the upcoming five-match T20I series, scheduled to get under way on Sunday.
The experienced Keshav Maharaj will take over the captaincy, as Aiden Markram and key Proteas players have been rested ahead of this year’s Indian Premier League, set to start in two weeks' time.
Independent Newspapers' Ongama Gcwabe highlights five young guns to keep an eye on during the five-match series.
When it comes to youngsters with a high ceiling on the domestic circuit, Esterhuizen’s name is one of the first on the list. At 24, Esterhuizen already has an SA20 winner’s medal with MI Cape Town and recently completed an SA20 campaign with his new team, the Pretoria Capitals.
He is a versatile youngster who can open the batting or bat lower down the order and is a wicket-keeper. The tour to New Zealand is his first with the Proteas, and he will be looking to impress. In his 39 T20s thus far, he has a strike rate of 126, which doesn’t come close to his true potential with bat in hand.
When it comes to all-rounders in the country, the 22-year-old Simelane is right up there with some of the best. He has earned ten international T20s already, a feat that is a testament to his potential. With the ball, Simelane bowls at a decent pace and can be handy with the bat as well.
His inclusion in the squad for the tour is a golden opportunity for him to stake a claim, as he has yet to impress in his young international career. With an economy rate of 10 runs per over in T20Is, he will be looking to showcase his skills in Tauranga.
Jordan Hermann has earned his maiden international call-up, and there is no more deserving player in domestic cricket. Brother to Rubin, Jordan has been a consistent performer across all formats in domestic cricket and has made his mark as one of the country’s most destructive batters.
Hermann averages 31 in 79 T20s thus far and has won the SA20 three times with the Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
The rise of Forrester has been special to witness. The 25-year-old has gone from making his T20 debut for the Knights in 2023 to earning a maiden international call-up, all in under three years. With both bat and ball, Forrester has all the attributes to be one of the world’s leading all-rounders.
This year, he played in his first SA20 season, as he was roped in by Faf du Plessis' Joburg Super Kings. With the bat, he strikes at 141, while returning an economy rate of 8.86 with the ball.
In the pool of South Africa’s cricketing prodigies, there is no excluding Mokoena’s name. The 19-year-old impressed in the SA20 this year, taking 13 wickets in 20 matches under the captaincy of David Miller at the Paarl Royals.
He bowled in the first powerplay and at the death, proving to be a reliable bowler for his captain in tough game situations. The fast bowler will look to continue his impressive run should he get game time in New Zealand.