The Jansen Twins might sound like the name for a hip young music duo, but 18-year-old siblings Marco and Duan Jansen compose their music on the cricket pitch, and they rocked the Free State side on Saturday to take North West to a surprise 100-run win in the CSA 3-Day Cup match in Bloemfontein, writes SIMON LEWIS.
Born on 1 May 2000, both twin brothers played for North West at the recent Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week in Cape Town at the end of 2018. Marco was selected for the SA Schools Colts XI that beat the SA Schools XI in the showcase match at Newlands.
He has played five first-class matches for North West, taking 5-53 on his first day in first-class on 11 October 2018, with Eastern Province the victims. Duan’s first-class debut came on 10 January 2019 against South-Western Districts, taking 2-54 and 1-41 in a thrilling match that saw North West pipped at the post. The match against Free State was only his second in first-class cricket.
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Chasing just 192 for victory against North West on Saturday, Free State would have been confident of the task ahead following their first innings total of 220, but they didn’t reckon on the Jansen twins pulling off a great escape for North West.
North West’s 32-year-old opening bowler Craig Alexander picked up the wicket of Paballo Mogoera for four to put Free State at 5-1, after which it was the Jansen brothers all the way . Marco picked up the next three wickets to reduce Free State to 61-4, before he passed the baton on to brother Duan, who knocked over the last six batsmen in a sensational six-over spell of bowling.
Duan picked up a wicket with the fifth ball of his first over and repeated it again in his second over, with his figures reading 2-0-3-2. Five runs followed off his third over, but he made amends by picking up a wicket with the first ball of his fourth over, and again with the fifth ball of that over.
By then Free State were reeling with their score on 85-8, with Duan’s figures reading 4-0-9-4. His first maiden over of the innings followed in his fifth over, before he brought the match to a dramatic end in his sixth over, producing a catch off his own bowling from ball two, followed by triumphantly bowling J van Dyk to end the Free State innings on 91 – with a double-wicket maiden to boot!
The 100-run win was North West’s third of the campaign and has moved them up to fourth spot in Pool B of the 3-Day Cup log.
In North West’s first innings of the match, Marco scored one run and Duan four, with Marco picking up 4-39 and Duan 1-52 in Free State’s first innings. Second time at bat, Marco scored a valuable 14 off 53 balls, while Duan was caught behind for a nine-ball duck. However, it was in Free State’s second innings where they did the damage that will long remain part of the folklore of their family, with Marco picking up figures of 10-6-12-3, while brother Duan ended with the astonishing figures of 6-2-9-6.
Photo: Michael Sheehan/Gallo Images
