Sisanda Magala

Sisanda Magala is a South African pacer and his USP is yorker bowling.  He was once endorsed by Dale Steyn himself, however, he failed to live up to the expectation.

Having made his first-class debut way back in 2010, it took eleven long years for Mangala to make the transition to the highest level. 

Born in Port Elizabeth, Mangala was schooled in Muir College. He made his first-class debut for Eastern Province during the CSA Provincial Three-Day Challenge of 2010-11, ending the season with 23 wickets off seven games at 24.50. Later that season, the pacer was shortlisted to make his List A and T20 debut. 

However, the Port Elizabeth-born had to wait, until 2016, to have his breakthrough moment. He started the Africa T20 Cup with a bang and ended it as the leading wicket-taker. Mangala established himself at the Warriors franchise in the seasons that followed (2017). The Nelson Mandela Bay Giants picked him for the 2018 Mzansi Super League, before moving to the Cape Town Blitz for the 2019 edition to finish as the tournament's sixth-highest wicket-taker.

The national selectors could not ignore a talent like Mangala further. The T20 specialist earned his maiden call-up for the limited-overs series against Pakistan, at home. In the absence of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Lungi Ngidi; he made his T20I debut against the visitors at Johannesburg, but went wicketless on debut. While, he redeemed himself in the next game by knocking off Pakistan’s best batter Babar Azam’s stumps. He took two more wickets in the four-match series and impressed the pundits with his death-bowling. 

In May 2021, Mangala was selected to tour the West Indies with the full-fledged South African team, which hints that the selectors are wandering to check on the best options and Mangala can be one of them. The pacer would be eyeing to cement his place before the World T20, to be held later in 2021, and serve the Proteas beyond it. 

(As of June 2021)