Duan Jansen among fresh faces in Proteas squad for Namibia tour

All-rounder Duan Jansen’s impressive domestic season has been rewarded with a maiden Proteas call-up after he was named in a 15-player squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of Namibia starting later this month.

The Proteas take on Namibia and Zimbabwe in a T20 International (T20I) tri-series from 28 August to 6 September at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek. 

The squad will then remain in the capital city for a three-match one-day international (ODI) series against Namibia from 9 to 13 September, which will be the first-ever 50-over series between the two nations. 

Jansen, the twin brother of the formidable all-rounder Marco Jansen, put himself in contention with a string of standout performances across both white-ball formats.

In particular, he helped steer his domestic team the Titans to a Division 1 One-Day Cup triumph in March with a wicket, a catch and an unbeaten 61 in the final against the Lions. He was later named the competition’s Player of the Season.

He also recently finished as English county Gloucestershire’s leading wicket-taker in the T20 Blast, with 16 wickets. 

“We’re constantly looking at the guys that are doing well at domestic level, especially when it comes to building a base of all-rounders,” said Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad. 

“Duan did particularly well across all formats. The one thing that stood out for me was watching that final against the Lions and how he managed quite a tricky period with the bat.  

“We know that he often operates in the shadow of his twin brother, but he’s still got all the ingredients to become a quality all-rounder.” 

The Proteas will be captained by spinner Bjorn Fortuin and received a boost with the nationally contracted trio of Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi and Kwena Maphaka.

Jansen’s Titans teammate and all-rounder Eathan Bosch is the other uncapped T20I player in the squad, while Connor Esterhuizen, Jordan Hermann and Nqobani Mokoena have received their first ODI call-ups. 

The Namibia tour will act as a prelude to a demanding summer at home which includes visits from Australia, Bangladesh and England. The tour also forms part of the Proteas’ preparations for next year’s Cricket World Cup, which will be co-hosted by SA, Namibia and Zimbabwe. 

“One needs to take everything into account when you look at a tour like this,” said Conrad. “The big summer that we’ve got plays a part. Whenever we have an opportunity to do both, expose a few of our younger players while also giving some of our senior guys a bit of a break, because of what the summer entails. 

“This is an ideal opportunity to build international caps among our younger players while keeping one eye on what the summer looks like for some of our senior guys.” 

A desire to develop cricket on the continent 

The seven-match tri-series also serves as a precursor to the possible launch of the Africa Cup in 2027. The Africa Cup is expected to be a continental tournament aimed at providing more African nations with the opportunity to compete at the highest level. 

All profits generated from the tri-series will be donated to help grow and strengthen the game throughout the continent. 

Currently, in Africa, only SA and Zimbabwe have full member status with the International Cricket Council. Namibia is an associate member. 

As a result, despite being one of the co-hosts of next year’s Cricket World Cup, Namibia do not automatically qualify to compete as do SA and Zimbabwe, and must still go through a qualification process to participate. 

A proposed Africa Cup could therefore provide a valuable platform to grow the game on the continent and give emerging nations more regular high-level competition.

And Conrad believes that by getting involved, SA has the responsibility to help make this happen.

“I know there’s been talk of an Africa Cup going forward, I know very little about it, but I’m certainly prepared to throw all of my weight behind that,” said Conrad. “We’ve got that responsibility, as the, let’s call it the big brother, to ensure that we assist in any way we can in the development of cricket in all of Africa. It’s a wonderful place to start with our closest neighbours in Zimbabwe and Namibia.”

Gerald Coetzee still in the mix

Meanwhile, South Africa A (SA A) will host Bangladesh A in a two-match four-day series from 23 August to 2 September, before contesting a three-match ODI series from 6 to 12 September. 

Fast bowler Gerald Coetzee was added to the SA A squad and despite numerous injuries setting him back, he is still in Conrad’s long-term plans. 

Coetzee is keen to wear national colours again, and according to Conrad waived his opportunity to play cricket in the United Kingdom (UK) over the winter to play for SA A. 

“We all know what Gerald’s capable of,” said Conrad. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Gerald, so much so that when I took over the Test job he was one of the first guys in for me, and nothing’s changed insofar as I see him and what he can bring to the party.  

“I can tell you now, he was offered another gig in the UK, and he pretty much asked me to play in the A side rather than go and play in the UK because he wants to impress.” 

Persistent injuries, ranging from pectoral and hamstring issues to groin strains, have prevented the fast bowler from building sustained momentum in his career. 

“He’s obviously got a burning desire to get back into the Proteas, both Test and ODI,” said Conrad. “His history is so checkered with injuries that he needs to learn to trust his body, and in turn we then get to trust him. 

“Gerald forms a huge part of the pace attack going forward. He’s got genuine pace. We’ve seen the value of someone with pace both in the Test side, but also more importantly in the ODI side. 

“I’m hopeful that the injury woes are something of the past and that he can put his best foot forward and compete for the Proteas in all formats again.” DM