Just as the world is cherishing the talents of Kagiso Rabada, another Johannesburg-born youngster in Kwena Maphaka has taken the world by storm with his impressive talent with ball in hand.
ABOUT a decade ago, a 19-year-old fast bowler from South Africa stole the hearts of fans around the world with his spirited and passionate performances at the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. That was a young Kagiso Rabada.
At the time, Rabada was fresh out of high school, where he went to Saints, an “Ivy League” school called St Stithians College, from where many other South African sporting greats emerged. Rabada went on to cement himself not only as a great in his generation but also among the greats of the game at large.
Just as the world is cherishing the talents of Rabada, another Johannesburg-born youngster in Kwena Maphaka, also from Saints, has taken the world by storm with his impressive talent with ball in hand.
From dominating the 2022 Under-19 World Cup at only 16 years of age in the Caribbean, to running in at a packed Wankhede Stadium for the Mumbai Indians two years later, Maphaka’s rise has been nothing short of incredible.
A few months after making his Indian Premier League debut while still in high school, Maphaka became the youngest player to make an international debut for South Africa at 18 years of age when he donned the green and gold jersey in Trinidad during the recent three-match T20I series against the West Indies.
Maphaka says that from the tender age of six, he was already dreaming of becoming a Protea one day.
“It’s something that I’ve been dreaming about my whole life, to represent the Proteas. To be the youngest to do it just adds the cherry on top of the cake,” Maphaka said.
“From the age of six or seven years old, I’ve wanted to be a Proteas player. The feeling of making your Proteas debut is amazing. It was very special when Saucy (Aiden Markram) handed me the ball.
“A year ago I was watching these guys on TV and now I’m in the change room with them; it’s something that’s surreal.”
Like many fast bowlers, Maphaka has always taken a liking to the great era of fast bowlers that the West Indies produced in the past.
The left-arm fast bowler has always singled out Curtley Ambrose as his role model among the many fast bowling greats who have emerged from the Caribbean islands.
Given that Maphaka made his South Africa Under-19 debut and now his international debut in the Caribbean, the youngster says it is a special feeling to do so in the land where his idol grew up.
Just like Ambrose, Maphaka has pace, aggression and control, and he enjoys the battles between himself as a fast bowler and the batters.
“One of my cricketing role models has to be Curtly Ambrose. The way that he went about the game, his aggression and control, there were just so many things to like about him,” said Maphaka.
“The West Indies have a long line of fast bowlers that can be looked up to, so it’s really special to make my debut where there’s so many greats.
“I like being in the batter’s face, creating a battle even if there’s no words involved. I like having a little stare-down because it keeps me in the game and it lets the batters know that I’m not here to play around. It’s a statement that I’d like to make,” he added.
On Thursday, Maphaka won the Under-19 Player of the Year in the Cricket SA Pathway Awards following his outstanding performances at the ICC U19 Men’s World Cup earlier this year.
The Pathway Awards are dedicated to recognising excellence at various levels that contribute to the growth of cricket in the country.
SportsBoom.com
