3 Bowlers Who Will Be Crucial For South Africa In Champions Trophy 2025

Arnav Chopra

Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada (Source: @ProteasMenCSA/X.com, @ICC/X.com)Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada (Source: @ProteasMenCSA/X.com, @ICC/X.com)

With ambition in their eyes, inaugural champions South Africa will march out to lift the title once again when they field their side in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. The event, slated to be played in Pakistan, will feature Afghanistan, Australia, and the English side in Group B alongside the Proteas team led by Temba Bavuma.

To prepare for the multinational event, South Africa announced their squad on 13th January. However, with the injury to Anrich Nortje, their bowling looks a bit shuffled as they have not announced any replacement for the fast bowler. The African side will be starting their campaign against the strong Afghanistan side on 21st February in Karachi, whereas they'll next play Australia, followed by England on 1st March.

Moreover, they have trusted the likes of Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, and Aiden Markram to perform as their all-rounder. Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi are the two designated spinners in the side who will have an important role to play in Pakistan. 

Now, with Nortje ruled out, let's have a look at three bowlers who will be crucial for South Africa in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.

3. Marco Jansen

  • Pace bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen is an unbelievable find for the Proteas, as this youngster has performed exceptionally well in all three formats of the game since his debut. With his tall, slender structure and left-arm pace bowling, Jansen makes it difficult for batters to hit him while also picking up wickets with his bounce and inswinging deliveries.
  • In his overall ODI experience of 26 matches, he has bagged 41 wickets at an average of 32, while his bowling economy has been decent at 6.31.
  • The 24-year-old can bowl in the powerplay alongside bowling in the death, where he is highly effective with the ball. Not to forget his ability with the bat too, as he can strike runs lower down the order to push the team's total. Therefore, his ability to command the ball can be extremely crucial to South Africa's Champions Trophy chances.

2. Keshav Maharaj

  • Left-arm experienced spinner Keshav Maharaj has been at the forefront for the South African side for the past few years, picking up wickets wherever necessary. Spin has been a significant force in Pakistan, where pitches get slower with time, as Maharaj will have a vital role to play for South Africa.
  • He has had the opportunity to feature in 44 ODI internationals, where he has gathered 55 wickets at an average of 30.65 and retained an excellent economy of 4.56 throughout his ODI career.
  • Maharaj is known to bowl long spells, and that can come in handy when South Africa requires him to be the workhorse to trouble the batters with his flighted deliveries. In the 2023 World Cup, Maharaj bowled a total of 89 overs in 10 matches, where he collected 15 wickets at an economy rate of 4.15, averaging 24.66, massively helping his team, South Africa, throughout the World Cup. If he continues to perform like this, Keshav will again be a crucial factor for South Africa during the Champions Trophy 2025.

1. Kagiso Rabada

  • The most important player for the Proteas, as he usually is the right-arm pacer Kagiso Rabada, who has done an incredible job for his side in the past decade. He is lethal with his pace and bounce, taking up wickets at regular intervals and displacing the opposition batsman. The right-armer's control over the ball makes him a wily customer as he often outfoxes the batsman with remarkable consistency, especially early on in the innings.
  • Rabada has featured in 103 ODI matches and has managed to bag 162 wickets at an economy of 5.06, while retaining his average of 27.56 in his career.
  • While Rabada has spearheaded the African bowling lineup for a better part of the last decade, he is also accustomed to bowling on Asian pitches with a plethora of experience playing in the IPL, as he has bowled exceedingly well on slow and low wickets. Considering all this, Rabada is a key player for South Africa and, hence, will be pretty crucial for them in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.