I realised I had to take my own route — Duan Jansen on his Proteas breakthrough

International Cricket

Morgan Bolton

27 AUG 2026, 11:32

7 min read

Standing in the shadow of a twin brother who has already racked up over 80 international caps is no easy feat, but for Duan Jansen, the wait for his own Proteas breakthrough has been a lesson in perspective.

While his younger-by-minutes brother Marco has rapidly became a mainstay in South Africa’s attack after his 2021 debut, Duan has had to navigate the inevitable comparisons, undergo a deep mental reset, and learn to embrace his own distinct journey to his Proteas callup.

Marco has already played in 21 Tests, 32 ODIs and 30 T20Is during his career, making his debut for the Proteas in a Test match against India in 2021. If all goes to plan, by Sunday morning Duan would have earned his second T20 international cap for the Proteas in a tri-series hosted by Namibia in Windhoek, which also involves neighbours Zimbabwe.

He is also expected to participate in the Proteas' ODI series against Namibia shortly thereafter.

With a healthy sense of sibling rivalry and that characteristic twin empathy, Duan freely admits that watching Marco achieve that international dream first led to some introspection and the realisation that the journey is perhaps just as important and unique as the destination. Although similar in many aspects on a personal level, Duan’s path to international cricket is of his own making, even though he admits having his brother already at that level is a boon to his tale.

“When Marco’s career started,” Duan said, “it was a bit difficult because obviously people all around ask a lot of questions.

“From four or five years ago — two years into his Proteas journey — it all changed for me mentally. I realised I had to take my own route, if I can say it that way.

“Mentally, it changed how I play, how I approach training and how I see his games when I watch him. I've asked him a lot of questions after games and pre-games. I see it as a positive because you can get a glimpse into how it's running in the Proteas setup, how your mindset should be in this environment regarding travelling and all that stuff.

"I’ve reset my mindset since that point. Once I did that, I reaped a lot of rewards.

“Our relationship also got better and stronger when it comes to cricket and related stuff. So, that's a great thing to have, especially if it’s one of your family members.”

Marco will not participate in the current T20I tri-series, or the follow-up three-match ODI series against Namibia. Instead, he will no doubt form part of the Proteas squad that will face the Baggy Greens in Australia’s Tour of South Africa at the end of September.

Whether Duan will also be involved in that tour remains to be seen, but the dream of playing alongside his brother will certainly spur the 26-year-old on.

Said Duan: “One of our personal goals is to play together for the Proteas, but we know as well it's not going to be that easy. If it means we have to come in and out for each other or be on tour together and one is out while the other one plays, that's fine.

“If we do the right things for a longer period of time, I think the chance for us to play together for our country is going to be better. We have to walk our own way in that sense, where I have to do a job, he has to do his job, and if it comes together and aligns, then we are both going to be happy.”

For that to happen, Jansen has a fairly good idea where he needs to improve.

At List A level, the 26-year old has played 35 matches, claiming 45 wickets at an economy rate of 5.53 and a strike rate of 31.4. With willow in hand, Duan’s highest score is 61 not out, and he has thus far scored 409 runs across 26 innings. He averages 22.72 and has a healthy strike rate of 94.45.

He was particularly successful during his most recent stint for Gloucestershire during the Vitality Blast in England, and has enjoyed a purple patch since joining the Titans in Pretoria. In the T20 format, he has played 57 matches — including matches in the IPL and SA20 for the respective Indians franchises (Mumbai and Cape Twon) — scoring 396 runs at a strike rate of 144. With ball in hand, he has claimed 65 wickets at a strike rate of 16.9 and an economy rate of 8.4 per over.

With those statistics in mind, Jansen knows where he must hone his abilities to remain in the Proteas setup.

“I know there's one or two spots open where they want to pick guys regarding where they're going to bowl and where they're going to bat.

“I think overall, the new ball and death overs are areas I can improve a lot on with a lot of little things by just tightening up a little bit. Batting-wise, just to show what I have, not change a lot of stuff and make it complicated for myself, because I think most of the time when guys come here, they want to change the script.

“One thing I've realised is I've done something specific that works. So, to come here, just do the same and add on to that — those skills that I have — that's going to be important and not try to complicate it for myself.”

In recent years, Marco has begun taking much more responsibility with bat-in-hand and has started to fulfil a crucial all-rounder role in the Proteas setup. In arguably his finest hour in that role, Marco played a sublime 93 against Sri Lanka before claiming an emphatic seven wickets in a Test, after which he was awarded the Player of the Match honour.

With that in mind, Duan believes that he will bring similar qualities to the Proteas, albeit shaped by different experiences.

“If you look at the broad spectrum, we can do exactly the same job, even though we do it as different people,” Duan said.

“Marco has done a lot of good things for the Proteas, while I'm starting my journey. I still have to show it on this stage, but I'm here for a reason, and I'm here for a certain type of goal and I'm going to reach that goal. I have to show it to the world and for myself that I belong here, and I'm going to do that.”

Whether sharing the new ball or competing for the same all-rounder slot, Duan Jansen is no longer operating in his brother's shadow. By shaping his own path, refining his craft, and trusting the process, he is proving that there is more than enough room in South African cricket for both twins to thrive.

I realised I had to take my own route — Duan Jansen on his Proteas breakthrough

PROTEAS 2026/27 FIXTURES

T20I Tri-series: South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe

South Africa Tour of Namibia

Australia Tour of South Africa

Bangladesh Tour of South Africa

England Tour of South Africa