The breakthrough talent of the 2019/20 South African Cricket season could be 23-year-old batsman Janneman Malan.
Photo Copyright – Steve Haag Sports
Malan is the youngest of three brothers all plying their trade as franchise cricketers at the Cobras and has been on the Proteas radar for some time since shooting to prominence off the back of a stellar Africa T20 Cup for the North West Dragons.
The emergence of Malan should give heart to cricket fans fretting over the state of the game in South Africa. What is particularly pleasing is that Malan has shown himself to be a player who can play attractive and successful cricket.
Malan has already been handed an opportunity in a Proteas shirt, showing glimpses of his potential in the series win over Pakistan in February. His positive play has lead to his advancement in the shortest format of the game, but he has shown a great deal of promise across white and red-ball cricket.
He was named the Three-Day Cup Cricketer of the Year in 2018 after a season with North West where he notched over 1000 first-class runs which helped facilitate the move to the Cobras to join brother Pieter, the third brother Andre also moved to Cape Town in 2018. The three hold a unique record, being the only trio of brothers to score first-class hundreds on the same day of the same match.
Malan favours the ball coming onto the bat having learned much of his craft at Senwes Park but may have trouble with the variations in pace of the top international bowlers. He has proven himself consistent at every level of domestic cricket though and is well placed to make a serious statement in the coming season.
The tall right-handed batsman made a fantastic start to the Mzansi Super League and will derive enormous benefit from teaming up with Proteas opener Quinton de Kock throughout the tournament. If Malan can keep up the form he showed in the 99 he hit against the Jozi Stars at the Wanderers, he should find himself in the squad for next year’s T20 World Cup.
Struggles among the Proteas top-order could also open the door for Malan’s ascension to the Test team. It is still unclear who will be directing the Proteas when they host England but whoever it is might be tempted to place the counterattacking threat of Malan into the middle-order to give the batting a much needed shot in the arm.
