'Whether you're bowling to Babar Azam, or an Under-19 player…': Kwena Maphaka on dismissing Pakistan batter thrice

Kwena Maphaka, 18, has already played eight international matches for South Africa and is touted as the next big thing in Proteas cricket. Since grabbing the attention of cricket fanatics and pundits worldwide through the Under-19 World Cup, the left-arm pacer has only gone from strength to strength.

The young quick scalped 21 wickets in the U19 World Cup – this exceptional performance helped Maphaka secure a contract with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. With international exposure behind him, the pacer currently represents Paarl Royals in the SA20. This is just the start for Kwena as he will soon be a part of the Rajasthan Royals setup and will receive valuable tips from head coach Rahul Dravid during IPL 2025.

In December 2024, Maphaka became South Africa's youngest Test debutant at the age of 18 years and 270 days. Against Pakistan, the youngster constantly clocked speeds of more than 150 kph and dismissed Babar Azam on three occasions across all formats. Maphaka, still a teenager, now relishes the opportunity to share the dressing room with the likes of Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada.

As Maphaka continues to impress in the SA20, Hindustan Times caught up with the young gun on how he sees his future. Maphaka will also be part of the Rajasthan Royals' set-up in the coming IPL season, and he couldn't be happier to be associated with a franchise that grooms youngsters into finished products.

Excerpts:

How have you been finding it playing for the Paarl Royals? The franchise is known for giving youngsters good breathing space, allowing them to flourish; how has your experience been so far?

Yeah, I've had a really good experience with the Paarl Royals. Obviously, having a lot of youngsters in the side, you feel a little bit more seen and validated by people in and around your age and feel a little bit more free to express yourself and your game. So it's been really enjoyable and I'm really appreciative of the opportunity that I've gotten with the Royals.

You have Lungi Ngidi in the squad. How have your interactions been with him? Are you someone who wants to pick the brains of senior bowlers to keep developing constantly?

Yeah, definitely. I'm one of those guys who kind of asks a question randomly out of left field. So, it's not really like Lungi knows that the question is coming to him, but sometimes I'll just be thinking to myself, and I'll be like, maybe Lungi's got an answer, maybe Lungi can help me with this. And he's been really good to me, in terms of sharing his experiences, helping me develop as a player my game as well.

You also have Joe Root, Dinesh Karthik, and David Miller on the team. Do you often try to pick their brains to understand a batter's mindset?

Yeah, definitely. I think, especially in T20 cricket, you've always got to try, and be a step ahead. So chatting to senior players like Miller, Rooty, and DK is really helpful in trying to understand what the batter might do next and how you can stay ahead of the game.

Fans and the media see you as the next big thing in international cricket for the Proteas. Is that an added pressure on you?

Yeah, I think being a youngster and kind of having that reputation early, there's definitely a little bit of added pressure. But I just try to play the game as hard as I can, trying to develop and learn as much as I can so that I can be the best player that I can be, really.

You made your debut for South Africa, even in Tests. How was the experience? Is Test cricket the biggest challenge for an upcoming international cricketer? You've got Kagiso Rabada, a legend of the game, as your senior. What have you learned from him?

Yeah, being part of the Proteas side is a massive privilege, and it's an honour to be able to represent your country. Massive honour, massive privilege, especially in Test cricket, which I see as the pinnacle of cricket. It's definitely, the toughest challenge as a young guy going into international cricket playing Test. We were out there fielding for two days in my first Test, so it's definitely not easy.

It's physically and mentally draining as well. And then working with the likes of Kagiso Rabada, one of the best bowlers in the world – absolutely class. He's really good with giving information as well. I try to pick his brain a lot, similar to Lungi. He's very forthcoming with his information and his experiences and I think that's really good for me as a young player to help me develop and stay ahead of the curve.

Babar Azam is touted as one of the greater batters in today's generation. Not once, or twice, you dismissed him thrice. Did you have a particular plan for him? Were you overawed? Or was it just as simple as bowling to any other batter?

Firstly, Babar is definitely one of the greats of this generation. I think he's an incredible batter. We had plans for him, just like we do with every other batter. I really just think of it as a bowler versus a batter. Whether you're bowling to an Under-19 player or Babar Azam, at the end of the day, you're still trying to get the batter out. So I just try to keep it as simple as possible and stick to the plans that we had for him. It worked out really well.

What are your expectations from the SA20 and the upcoming IPL season?

I think the SA20 is going to be really good, hopefully for me, but I think the Royals are going to do really well. I think it's a great tournament to have in South Africa because it builds so many young players. You've seen Lhuan-dre Pretorius already going out there and smashing runs. He's got a lot of confidence, he's got a lot of skills. So, just being able to get exposure against some of the best players in the world is really good for the SA20.

I've got really good expectations for the IPL as well. I think the Royals is a really good franchise, really strong, also quite a few young players getting exposure. So I think it's going to be pretty similar to the SA20 in terms of performance and hopefully that performance will be really good.