Former Proteas captain Graeme Smith has predicted Marco Jansen will “be the best Test all-rounder going forward”.
Jansen, 26, was outstanding on the third day of the second Test against Australia at St George’s Park. With South Africa reeling at 110/6 and the Test and series on the line, Jansen joined his skipper, Temba Bavuma, at the crease and produced a stunning counter-attack.
The lanky right-hander smashed 85 off only 100 balls in a 132-run partnership with Bavuma that swung the momentum violently in favour of South Africa.
It is not the first time that Jansen has made vital contributions for the Proteas lower down the order. He also struck a magnificent 93 in the second Test in Guwahati last year that drove the Proteas to their first series win over India in 20 years.
And he is, of course, a lethal left-arm seam bowler who already has four five-wicket hauls.
“Marco Jansen is one of the most talented cricketers around at the moment. He bowls beautifully and can play impactful knocks in the lower to middle order for South Africa,” Smith said in his Betway column.
“I have no doubt Jansen is going to be the best Test all-rounder going forward. I think his bowling and consistency are just getting better and better. Everything is starting to develop and he’s starting to pick up key Test wickets as well, getting big players out.
“With the bat, we’ve seen in all formats that his skills are going from strength to strength.”
Smith, who led the Proteas in a record 109 Test matches, including guiding the team to the ICC World Test mace in 2012, believes Jansen would have provided his teams with an extra X-factor.
“When I think back to teams that I played in, to have a Marco Jansen at seven or eight would have been perfect for us,” he said. “He takes the game on and has a nice style of play.”
After Jansen did his job with the bat in the first innings, the Proteas will now hope he can produce a similar effort with the ball as Australia resume on 3/1 in response to the home team’s 425/9.