A stylish top-order batsman with an elegant and authoritative drive, Rilee Rossouw is a long-format player who made his name in shorter formats.

Rossouw returned from the 2008 Under-19 World Cup to play for the Eagles franchise, (later renamed Knights), where he was their highest run-getter in the 2008-09 season. In 2009-10, he went one better and was the leading run-scorer in the first-class competition with 1189 runs at an average of 66.05. In the next season, he was the second-highest run-getter in the one-day cup.

He was rewarded with a place in the South Africa A squad which toured Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2010. Rossouw averaged over 40 in first-class cricket in three of the four seasons which followed - 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 - and despite regular appearances in A sides, he was still unable to break into to the Test team.

Instead, it was in shorter formats where he had more opportunities. In 2014, Rossouw picked up an IPL contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore, although playing opportunities were limited in a star-studded squad. Eventually, in August that year, he was included in a South Africa's ODI squad.

He toured Zimbabwe for a visit that also included a tri-series against Australia. He had a nightmarish start to international cricket and racked up four ducks in his first six innings. The South African selectors, though, had seen evidence of his quality over seasons in the domestic game and persisted with him. He was also included in the T20 squad for the Australia tour in November 2014, where he scored 78 in his first match in Adelaide.

In January 2015, Rossouw scored his first international century, against West Indies in Johannesburg, in a match in which several records were broken including the fastest ODI century at the time, scored by AB de Villiers. Rossouw had done enough to be included in the 2015 World Cup squad where he played in six matches, including the quarter-final and semi-final. Rossouw was also part of South Africa's 2016 World T20 squad, bagging a duck in the only match he played. He was signed by Leicestershire for the 2016 NatWest T20 Blast.
Firdose Moonda