South Africa’s 2025 batsmen include established stars like
David Miller, Aiden Markram, and Temba Bavuma, alongside talented emerging players such as Ryan Rickelton, Tony de Zorzi, and Tristan Stubbs. This group represents a blend of experienced power-hitters and emerging talents in the South African cricket team.
players known for their aggressive, late-order batting
Temba Bavuma: The captain and a middle-order batter.
David Miller: An experienced middle-order batter known for his powerful hitting.
Tristan Stubbs: A right-handed batter.
Aiden Markram: A versatile all-rounder and batter, contributing in various roles
Temba Bavuma is a disciplined, patient batsman with a calm, anchor-like approach, using a compact technique to absorb pressure and stabilize the innings. Similarly, Tony de Zorzi is a promising young left-handed batsman who has shown a calm and composed temperament at the crease, able to anchor the innings and withstand pressure. Finally, Aiden Markram is a naturally gifted and aggressive batsman who can quickly shift momentum and take control of a game, possessing the composure to play a measured innings while often leading from the front as captain.
It’s exciting to see so much young talent coming through for South Africa. Of the young South African batsmen, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs are the top contenders to become the next star. While Stubbs has shown explosive potential in T20 cricket, particularly with his high strike rate, Rickelton’s ability to score big, match-winning hundreds in both Test and white-ball formats, combined with his domestic consistency, gives him a slight edge as the most likely future star for the national team.
So far in 2025, the Proteas have had a mixed but ultimately successful year across all formats. Their biggest achievement was winning the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia by 5 wickets in June. They followed this up with a strong Test series victory over Zimbabwe, winning both matches by large margins. Wiaan Mulder was a standout performer in the Zimbabwe series, breaking records with an unbeaten 367.
In white-ball cricket, the Proteas have had some notable highs and lows. They clinched a 2-1 ODI series victory against England, but the final match was a crushing defeat where they were bowled out for just 72 runs. This loss, the largest by runs in ODI history for a team batting first, was described by captain Temba Bavuma as “horribly wrong.” In the T20 format, they’ve started their series against England with a rain-affected win, powered by a quick cameo from Donovan Ferreira.
Overall, the team’s performance has been a blend of dominant wins and disappointing losses. While their Test match results have been stellar, particularly with the World Test Championship title, the ODI loss to England highlights some inconsistencies. The team will be looking to build on their Test success and find more consistency in the shorter formats as the year progresses.