Even while still a student, the North-West University (NWU) had to issue Janneman Malan with a special “travelling certificate” as all his cricket balls travelled to the boundaries.

This exciting right-hand batsman recently showed his abundance of talent once more when he helped the Emerging Proteas to win the series against Sri Lanka in Pretoria by 1-0.

His calculated 84 from 162 deliveries was the highest score of the match and ensured a draw. The Proteas won the first four-day match.

The 23-year-old Janneman, who was born in Nelspruit, made his debut as opening batsman for the Proteas T20 team against Pakistan this year. He scored 33 runs in his first match for the national team, and in the second T20 match in Centurion he made two.

During his career at the NWU he reached various highs, for example when he scored 259 runs during the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Final in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

That was the most runs in the tournament and he was nominated as the most valuable player of the tournament to boot. Above all he helped the NWU to win the tournament and to be crowned the world’s best university team.  

Janneman was also one of the NWU’s great stalwarts during the Varsity cricket tournament in 2017. Besides the team coming out on top, his 13 sixes were the most in the tournament.

These days he calls the Cape his home, where he is an opening batsman for the Cape Cobras.  

 NWU teammates Janneman (left) and Ruan Haasbroek (right). Like Janneman, all-rounder Ruan also represented the North West Dragons.