Exclusive: The Rise of Nqaba Peter and Kwena Maphaka, South Africa's New Cricket Gems

South Africa has found two gems in fast bowler Kwena Maphaka and leg-spinner Nqaba Peter. Their rise to international cricket has been one of a kind as Ongama Gcwabe narrates.

The Rise: Maphaka & Peter

Over the last few years, South Africa has uncovered a lot of exciting talent that has gone on to take the world by storm.

The likes of Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs are some of the examples of exceptional talents who have grown to become stars in a very short period of time.

There are many that the world is yet to know about, at least not at the level that Brevis and Stubbs have taken to the world.

One is the 21-year-old leg spinner, Nqaba Peter, whose story to professional cricket is one of a kind. Peter was a net bowler to the Proteas white ball team in East London about a year ago.

The youngster was impressed so much that he was quickly rushed to Johannesburg to join the Lions which is one of the most decorated teams in the country.

A few months later, Peter was on a trip to the Caribbean with the Proteas white ball after dominating Division One T20 cricket in his very first season.

The youngster got his T20I debut and displayed all his talents for the world to see against some of the most explosive T20I batters in the world.

Around about the same time that Peter was rising to the top, another youngster in Kwena Maphaka was dominating the under-19 space with the Junior Proteas.

The left-arm quick became the 2024 Under-19 World Cup Player of the Tournament and earned a contract with the Indian Premier League's Mumbai Indians.

He was just 17 years of age when he ran in at a packed Wankhede Stadium and bowled in the mid 140s (kph). In the same year, the youngster earned his international debut when he toured the West Indies and stood his ground against the West Indies.

What Hashim Amla told Peter

Making your international debut at such a young age can be nerve-wracking, however, Peter has experienced heads around him in domestic cricket with the Lions team and with the Proteas team.

At the Lions, the youngster has Hashim Amla as a batting coach, a former Proteas who Peter said has had a massive impact in his career about handling pressure.

"Handling that pressure, I try to remain in my head and not listen to the noise from the outside," said Peter. 

"It's actually something that Hash (Hashim Amla) told me that the loudest voice is the one in your head so those are some of the things that I think of when I'm under pressure,” he told SportsBoom.com. 

"I'm someone who feeds off a lot of energy. When my environment is calm and I can speak to people who have played the game longer than I have and understand it better than me, in situations like that that's when I ask what I should do. I think it's just my personality as a whole, I'm not a very busy character. I'm a very calm person."

It is always a perfect environment for the youngster to have senior players around them who will guide them as they make their mark in international cricket.

How domestic cricket helped elevate Maphaka's career

Maphaka and his SA under-19 teammates played in a Division Two T20 tournament in domestic cricket about two years ago and for many of them, it was their first taste of professional cricket.

They went on to win that tournament, but most importantly, they gained invaluable experience, one that certainly helped Maphaka have some idea of what was to unfold in his career.

"It was a very important tournament for an under-19 team going out and playing against Division Two teams. It doesn't really seem that important but the impact that it had on a lot of our careers has been significant," said Maphaka.

"Being able to play in maybe not in the biggest crowds but in East London there was quite a big crowd and they were all against and being able to know what it feels like to be an underdog, know what it feels like not to have people on your side, that was really special and was definitely something we needed as a team and I hope that it continues because it is something that young cricketers need in general."

Maphaka was recently bought by the Rajasthan Royals at the Indian Premier League Auction in Jeddah.