Vernon Philander      

Vernon Philander is a powerful allrounder who has enjoyed consistent success with the Cape Cobras. He played for South Africa Under-19s on their tour of England in 2003 and the U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh. In 2004 he had a short stint with Devon and appeared in two C&G Trophy matches, helping Devon to a famous win over Leicestershire. In 2006-07 he produced an impressive one-day season for the Cobras, averaging 72 with the bat and 30 with the ball. It was enough to earn him a place in South Africa's squad for their one-day tour of Ireland, a team he'd been lined up to play for before a stress fracture of his back, and he was rewarded for a good display there with a spot in the Twenty20 World Championships in 2007. Not satisfied with that, he continued to perform impressively in domestic cricket - in the 2010-11 season, he was the fourth highest wicket-taker with 35 wickets at an average of 16.11 - and he was finally rewarded with a place in the South African Test squad for the series against Australia in 2011. He justified the decision with a Man-of-the-Match performance in his first Test, taking 8 for 78, including a second-innings haul of 5 for 15, to help South Africa to a stunning win in Cape Town. He followed it up with another five-for in the second Test, winning him the Man-of-the-Series prize.
Andrew McGlashan