Marco Jansen still sees room for improvement after season of growth for Proteas

Sporting a dodgy hairdo, Marco Jansen expressed surprise and gratitude after being named the Proteas Men's Player of the Year on Thursday night. 

“I’m following the Tristan Stubbs trend,” he chirped, about a trim that looks like he’d lost a bet.

“I’ve been on a fitness programme, I wasn't expecting to have to go out in public.”

In a season when the national team drew a Test series against India and lost in the ODI World Cup semifinal, Jansen’s development as an all-rounder has occurred almost unnoticed.

That may be because of the generally sceptical outlook about the sport among the South African public. 

However, Jansen has delivered, particularly in tricky situations, propelling South Africa to a crucial victory against England in Mumbai, while also producing a career best effort with the bat in the Proteas’ win over India in the first Test in Centurion last December. 

“It’s a privilege,” he said of winning the main award.

“There are a lot of match-winners in this side, Klaasy, KG, Kesh, it’s more a case of gratitude rather than a boost in confidence [for me]. We try to push each other in training, see where the other guy’s breaking point is, where we can push them harder and where we can improve one another,” said the 24-year-old.

Jansen finished as the Proteas' second highest wicket-taker with 17 at the ODI World Cup, and he also scored 157 runs, which included that match-turning 75 not out in the round-robin match against England. 

His partnership of 161 runs with Heinrich Klaasen, which took South Africa from 233/4 in the 34th over, a situation in which the match was still in the balance, to 399/7, helped set up a comfortable win. 

In just two Tests he played last summer he made a crucial unbeaten 84 and picked up four wickets in the Proteas' victory in the Boxing Day Test.

Jansen is doing a three-month strength and conditioning programme and will return to action in time for the home series against Sri Lanka in November.

“I’m not the finished article; if that were the case I would be averaging 50 with the bat and taken 300 wickets. I can get a lot better technically with my batting and as far as my bowling I can contribute more consistently in getting wickets,” he said.

Proteas women’s captain Laura Wolvaardt scooped five awards, including the Fans favourite player and the Women’s Player of the Year. Handed the captaincy in difficult circumstances a year ago, with senior players retiring and the team’s coach being on a short-term contract, Wolvaardt said she was a “little bit” surprised she was able to bear the burden of captaincy and batting. 

“That was one of my concerns, but it’s affected me in a good way,” she said about the captaincy. “I’ve focused more on what I can do for the team; [assessing] conditions, bowling lines, bowling plans, field placings and doing so has brought out the best in me as a batter,” she said. 

“I have a wider tactical outlook, whereas if you’re just a batter you’re focusing on yourself. It’s given me a more global view of the game.”

Wolvaardt made four ODI centuries last season, added another in the T20 format and though it didn’t fall in the period upon which the awards were judged, her maiden Test century in Chennai against India in May was another example of her value to a Proteas side that is still in transition — on and off the field. 

“If you’re able to lead by example, it’s awesome. If as captain, you're struggling for runs season after season and then telling other people what to do, it would be awkward,” said Wolvaardt.

“I’m quite a reserved person, I’m still getting the hang of giving big motivational speeches, I’m hoping that by leading by example it will pay off in the long-term.”