JJ Smuts

A very unusual name, to begin with, Jon-Jon Smuts is one of the best strikers of the cricket ball to have emerged from South Africa. In a generation where South African youngsters grew up hero-worshipping ABD and Faf, Smuts is an entertaining player, and seeing his batting in full flow is a treat for every cricket lover. 

Cricket came very naturally to Smuts and it was at the age of six when he geared himself to become a cricketer. Smuts opens the batting in every format he plays and is also a useful left-arm spinner who has the tendency to chip in with crucial wickets. Despite showing potential at an early age, it took quite a long time for him to establish himself at the highest level. 

Smuts was part of the South African U 19 team during the 2007-08 World Cup and also played a match-winning knock of 58 against Pakistan in the semi-final. South Africa eventually lost to India in the final but Smuts had made a name for himself. He was also part of the South African squad during their triumphant campaign in the 2010 Emerging Players Tournament in Australia. 

Smuts finally managed to hog the limelight in the 2011-12 season when he finished as the 5th highest run-getter in South Africa’s first-class competition. He also impressed with the bat during the 2014-15 One Day Cup amassing 592 runs at an average of 59.20. Owing to his six-hitting abilities, Smuts bagged a contract in the 2016 CPL. 

Smuts finally managed to make it to the South Africa squad when he was selected to play in the T20 series against Sri Lanka in 2017. Smuts has been given a fair amount of chances but he hasn’t been able to replicate his heroics at the international level. Given his abilities to hit the ball a long way, Smuts is expected to remain on the South African selection radar especially in the shorter formats.