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The debate over the world's best cricketer has taken an interesting turn, with South African legend Dale Steyn throwing his support behind the young all-rounder Marco Jansen. Steyn was left highly impressed by Marco Jansen's stunning all-round performance against Australia in the second Test against Australia at St. George's Park in Gqeberha.
Earlier, former England captain Nasser Hussain recently named Harry Brook as the best cricketer in the world right now. This sparked an intense debate that has caught the attention of fans, and Steyn has now explained why he believes Jansen deserves the top spot. Earlier, Steve Smith achieved a rare milestone in the second SA vs AUS Test.
Marco Jansen rescues South Africa with stunning 85-run knock
Marco Jansen delivered a stunning all-round performance in the ongoing second Test against Australia at St George's Park in Gqeberha. South Africa was struggling at 110/6, and Australia had a golden chance to restrict the hosts to a low total.
However, Jansen joined South Africa's captain, Temba Bavuma, and changed the entire situation with aggressive batting. The left-hander played a stunning knock of 85 runs off 100 balls, hitting nine fours and three sixes. He also shared a record 132-run partnership with Bavuma.
Marco Jansen destroys Australia with five-wicket haul, follow-on adds to pressure
Bavuma scored a brilliant 179, while spinner Simon Harmer added 82 runs as South Africa declared their innings at 425/9 against Australia in Gqeberha. Jansen then destroyed Australia's batting line-up with the ball. He picked up five wickets for just 33 runs in 11 overs as Australia were bowled out for only 99 runs at St George's Park.
Jansen dismissed Travis Head, Scott Boland, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey, and Beau Webster during his lethal spell at St. George's Park. Later, South Africa enforced the follow-on and put Australia under massive pressure. Interestingly, Australia had never won a Test after following on, suffering 29 defeats and drawing 11 of their 40 matches.
Dale Steyn picks Marco Jansen over Harry Brook, gives one big reason
After watching Marco Jansen's outstanding performance, Dale Steyn named the South African all-rounder the best cricketer in the world at present. Earlier, former England captain Nasser Hussain named Harry Brook as the best cricketer in the world presently.
The debate became even more interesting when a fan page on X highlighted the difference between the opinions of Hussain and Steyn, asking fans to decide whether Brook or Jansen deserved the title. Earlier, Harry Brook was totally surprised after learning Pakistan star Arafat Minhas’ age.
Steyn stood firmly behind the South African all-rounder while responding to the discussion. He pointed out that Brook does not bowl, highlighting Jansen's ability to contribute in both departments as a major reason behind him picking Jansen as the best cricketer in the world at present.
@CallMeSheri1_ Harry don’t bowl.
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) October 21, 2026
Marco Jansen is currently the best cricketer in the world.
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) October 21, 2026
Brook is known for his aggressive batting and match-winning performances, but Jansen offers an additional advantage with his left-arm fast bowling. His performance against Australia showed how one player can change a Test match with both bat and ball.
Nice to hear those comments: Marco Jansen on Dale Steyn's praise
Reacting to Steyn’s words, Jansen said: “It's nice to hear those comments. But sometimes I am cuckoo in the head. I sit late at night and I think of how I want to play and how I want to be as a cricketer. They are deep questions and hard questions that I ask myself. But at the end of the day, I just want to be a player the team can lean on. Especially in hard or tough moments.”
