The start of a new year always brings with it fresh excitement – and in a cricketing sense, the promise of new talents establishing themselves. Here are seven to watch out for in 2025.
Kwena Maphaka
Maphaka is an easy one to start with. Left-arm quicks are gold dust, and that sentiment only ramps up when one is able to hit 150 clicks on a consistent basis at the age of 18.
His rise has been rapid. In February 2024, he was representing South Africa at the U19 World Cup. By the end of the year, Maphaka was the youngest South African to play each of Test cricket, ODI cricket, T20I cricket, the IPL and the SA20. He has dismissed Babar Azam in each format in international cricket, and has made a promising start to his first-class career.
Watch: Teenage SA sensation Kwena Maphaka floors Mohammad Rizwan with helmet-pinging bouncer on debut
Maphaka is yet to find his feet at the top level, with tough initiations so far in the T20 format. But with all the raw materials to develop into a superstar, 2025 could be year Maphaka takes the next significant step in his development.
