Thami Tsolekile

From a footballer to a hockey player and eventually to a cricketer, Thami Tsolekile was the rising star of Cape Town. It was in Pinelands that he broke all records of school cricket, surpassing the legendary Jacques Kallis.

Tsolekile was a brilliant hockey player and represented South Africa at the international level before turning his attention to cricket, as it offered him a better career scope. He made his first-class debut in 1999 and went on to captain the Under-19 team at the U-19 World Cup. He captained the Cobras for a long time until he moved to play for the Lions. A right-hand batsman and a wicket-keeper, Tsolekile was impressive with the gloves and that handed him his international Test debut in 2004 against India, as an immediate replacement for Mark Boucher who was dropped due to poor form. Unfortunately, he failed to impress on his maiden outing and the veteran was quickly recalled.

When Boucher retired from international cricket after a freak eye accident in 2012, the selectors instantly named Tsolekile as his successor for the series against England. He however, did not get a chance to feature in the playing eleven as AB de Villiers took the gloves himself. Since then, the now aging Tsolekile finds himself picked as the reserve wicket-keeper, second to de Villiers.