19-year-old Kwena Maphaka, with valuable IPL and SA20 experience, served as a backup left-arm quick for the Proteas at the T20 World Cup, focusing on managing run rates and taking wickets.
Image: AFP
There are very few talents quite like the 19-year-old Kwena Maphaka.
At such a tender age, Maphaka was among the youngest players in the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
With a raw pace that is upwards of 150kph, there is very little youth in his game out in the field, as he also stacked up along some of the quickest bowlers in the tournament.
There may have been an uproar when the youngster was announced in South Africa's T20 World Cup squad by head coach Shukri Conrad earlier this year.
Conrad made it clear then that the youngster was not travelling only to cop experience, but was included because he deserved it, as he was head and shoulders above the rest of the quicks around the country.
Conrad made the decision to include Maphaka despite him having only returned from injury, displaying faith in the talents of the left-arm fast bowler.
After all, it was Conrad who travelled with Maphaka to the Under-19 World Cup in the Caribbean a few years ago.
Maphaka was only 15 years of age back then, and still proved to be quite the find as he stood out against some seriously talented players who were competing in the tournament, including South Africa's Dewald Brevis.
Conrad showed the same faith in Maphaka this year, giving him two matches in the World Cup, one against the United Arab Emirates and another against Zimbabwe, both games being played in Delhi.
Maphaka would contribute 0/30 and 2/21 as South Africa won both games convincingly, propelling them to the semi-finals, where they crashed out at the hands of their old nemesis, the Black Caps.
There is genius in Conrad's decision to take the young Maphaka with him to the World Cup. At 19 years of age, Maphaka will most likely play in many T20 World Cups in the future and he will lead from the front as he has already had a sniff in India in the past couple of weeks.
South Africa is set to co-host the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup, and as things stand right now, Maphaka will feature.
Given the experience he gathered in India, he will head into the 2027 showpiece event experienced, mature and full of confidence because he now understands what World Cup cricket is about.
Beyond the playing careers of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, who both are nearing the end of their careers, Maphaka will remain to show the next generation the ropes.
The left-arm fast bowler is certainly at the centre of the future of cricket in South Africa, and his peers, including the likes of Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Nqobani Mokoena, are set to benefit from the experience that Maphaka now has.
With South Africa's T20 World Cup campaign a thing of the past, it remains to be seen whether Maphaka will compete in the ongoing Cricket SA One Day Cup.
He will, however, soon be travelling to the Indian Premier League, where he will represent the Rajasthan Royals.