AUS vs SA: “Couldn't Have Asked For A Better Start” – South Africa's Marco Jansen Reflects On His First Year In International Cricket

The 22-year-old South Africa National Cricket Team fast-bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen, while reflecting on his first year in international cricket, said that he “couldn’t have asked for a better start”.

Marco Jansen, who is a left-arm pacer and a right-handed batter, made his international debut for South Africa in the Test match against India in Centurion in December 2021. So far, he has bagged 41 wickets and scored 266 runs, including one half-century, in 9 Tests. He has also represented the Proteas in three ODIs and one T20I. The fast-bowling all-rounder has been nominated as one of the ICC’s emerging players for 2022.

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Speaking ahead of the third and final Test of the series against Australia, Marco Jansen talked about his first year as an international cricketer.

“It didn’t start great, my first over in Test cricket went for 14 [12],” he said ahead of the Sydney Test against Australia on January 4, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

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“I haven’t really thought about it yet or reflected but it’s gone way better than expected. Couldn’t have asked for a better start, I guess.”

For me, I always try and see moments and if I see a moment I go even harder in that moment – Marco Jansen

In the first Test against Australia, Jansen bowled in one innings and had figures of 3/32 and in the second Test, he had the figures of 1/89 in the only innings South Africa bowled. Notably, his figures in the second Test match did not reflect how well he bowled, especially a spell to star batter Steve Smith on Day 2.

Meanwhile, Marco Jansen revealed that the premier pacer Kagiso Rabada told him that Smith was struggling against him and only after that he realised that the Australian batter was finding it tricky to play his deliveries.

“Think KG came to me and said, ‘listen, Marco, keep going because he’s not looking comfortable’. Think that was after my third over bowling to him,” Jansen said. 

“I didn’t even recognise that he was, not struggling, but finding it a bit challenging and only after that I could see that I should shy away, keep going, keep going, hitting the hard length.

“For me, I always try and see moments and if I see a moment I go even harder in that moment. Whether that’s with the ball, in the field or with the bat. So after KG came to me, that’s when I realised that I can’t just bowl a floater here, I have to keep on him because we might take a wicket.”

Australia thrashed South Africa in the Brisbane and Melbourne Test and the Dean Elgar-led side are now looking to avoid a clean sweep to keep their slim chances alive for qualification into the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23.

Meanwhile, Marco Jansen has said that Team South Africa want to win their remaining matches of the ongoing WTC cycle to have the best possible chance of qualifying for the final.

“It’s making that mental shift and making a conscious decision to say I’m going to put my hand up and do whatever it takes to influence the team in a good way or get the team over the line,” he said. 

“Personally for me, I know everyone gives their best, it’s trying to figure out what we can do as individuals to influence the team in a good way or influence the game.

“Whether that’s taking five blows to the body or bowling that seven-eight overs on the trot, sort of recognising the moment and doing whatever you can in your power to help the team into a good position.

“We have three Tests left until the final, obviously we want to win all three to give ourselves the best chance possible to get into the Test Championship final. So it’s not like we are only going into this game thinking it’s just another game and we cruise through it, there’s still a goal, still a purpose.”

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