An allrounder who swapped pace for precision because of twin knee injuries, Dwaine Pretorius is a late bloomer whose batting is as important as his bowling. In the post-Jacques Kallis era, Pretorius' away swingers and lower-order runs earned his first international call-up in 2016.

That was eight years after Pretorius was named in South Africa's under-19 squad for the 2008 World Cup. He never got to the tournament because he tore a cartilage in his right knee. Having seen the fragility of a sportsman's career, Pretorius put it aside as an option and chose to study instead. Three years later, armed with an accounting degree, he decided to give cricket another go.

Pretorius joined the North-West provincial side in the 2010-11 season and only got a look-in for the final game of the summer. He scored 53 and took 5 for 38, and became a regular member of the side the following season. In 2011-12, he was named the T20 Amateur Cricketer of the Year and was included in the Lions' squad for the 2012 Champions League T20, but the knee flared up again and he required surgery.

When Pretorius returned, he stopped striving for speed and shelved the idea of bowling 140+. Instead, he operated in the mid-130s and tried to emulate Vernon Philander's accuracy. He earned a franchise contract in the 2014-15 season and was named the South African Cricketers' Association's MVP in 2015. In winter 2016, he traveled with the South Africa A squad to play a quadrangular competition in Australia and in September 2016, he was called up to South Africa's ODI squad to play Ireland. Although Pretorius was only due to play that game, he was retained for the ODI series against Australia when Wayne Parnell was injured.

Pretorius was called up to South Africa's Test squad to Australia in November after Dale Steyn broke his shoulder, on the back of strong batting performances in South Africa's first-class competition.

Firdose Moonda