Maphaka and Co need protection as lucrative leagues offer new way for young players

If Kwena Maphaka is going to open the bowling for the Proteas at the 2027 World Cup, he will have to traverse a tricky and evolving landscape in a sport where the outlook for a young player starting his professional career is  very different  from what it was 10 years ago. 

Maphaka, the stand-out star in this year’s Under-19 World Cup that ends in Benoni today with the final between India and Australia, is already contracted by a team in the SA20 and will have to make difficult decisions about the path he follows. 

The SA Cricketers Association (Saca), the domestic players union, is set to create a “Player Development Manager” position to help the likes of Maphaka and other schoolboy cricketers understand the sport’s rapidly changing terrain, where playing for the national team may no longer be a priority. 

“There are now different pathways to becoming a professional cricketer, compared to what the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Aiden Markram faced when they transitioned out of Under-19 cricket after winning the World Cup in 2014,” said Saca CEO Andrew Breetzke.

For the most part, the hope for any young cricketer, with the profile that the Under-19 World Cup now provides, is to earn a provincial contract and ply his trade at domestic level, hoping through performance to win a spot in the national team and thus larger financial reward. 

However, as Dewald Brevis showed two years ago and Maphaka and two of his SA Under-19 teammates illustrated this year, that is no longer the only route to financial wellbeing. 

Maphaka, who is still finishing his matric year at St. Stithians College, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Steve Stolk were all signed up to the SA20 this year. The latter duo, who opened the batting for the baby Proteas with such aggressive intent, earned rookie contracts, while Paarl Royals didn’t bother waiting and signed Maphaka even before last year’s mini player auction. 

The under 19s still want to play for the Proteas in all formats. But it is also an individual thing, one might say that is the case, some might say something different or circumstances for an individual might change

—  Enoch Nkwe

Cricket SA’s director of cricket, Enoch Nkwe, is aware of the challenges that await. “Our focus is on the 2027 World Cup,” he said.

“A Maphaka might be there, a Stolk, any of them, but we have to be clear about their paths domestically because not everyone will automatically get an SA20 or any other kind of T20 league contract. 

“But we need to also keep in mind that while there are all these opportunities, with plenty of financial reward, we have to allow for not only the cricket development to take place, but also the human element.” 

Saca’s player development manager will prove crucial in that regard, said Breetzke. “It’s a very difficult world we live in. It will be about providing a service for young players who are making the transition to the professional ranks.

“Remember, it’s not just those players who are in the SA Under-19 team, there are hundreds of youngsters who need advice on how to choose an agent, what questions to ask of a potential agent, and what they should be expecting in a contract,” he added. 

Saca will be visiting schools around the country to raise awareness for young players and their parents about the changing professional landscape. 

Meanwhile Nkwe, who also wants to build stronger relationships with local agents, doesn’t feel there is a danger that playing for the Proteas will no longer be a primary goal for young players.  “The Under-19s still want to play for the Proteas in all formats. But it is also an individual thing. One might say that is the case, some might say something different, or circumstances for an individual might change.”

Nkwe wants to ensure that, as players emerge from the Under-19 ranks, that besides getting a provincial contract, they also play regularly. “It’s easy to sign a young player, but then we need to know how many matches and in what kind (limited overs or first class) he will be playing. It can set a player’s career back two years if he’s not playing regularly and then you end up losing him from the system.”