Connor Esterhuizen breaks the stumps to complete a run-out as the Proteas closed out the series against New Zealand 3-2 in Christchurch on Wednesday.
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The queue may be a long one, but Connor Esterhuizen has certainly added his name to the list to be considered for the Proteas wicket-keeper/batter role in white-ball cricket after leading his team to a 3-2 series victory over the Black Caps on Wednesday.
Esterhuizen has been the standout performer over the course of the five T20Is against New Zealand.
The 24-year-old not only topped the run-scoring charts across both teams with an aggregate of 200 runs at an average of 50, but the way he set the pulses racing at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch would stand him in good stead in the future.
His innings of 75 in 33 balls, which included five boundaries and a half dozen sixes, resuscitated the Proteas and ensured a total that was out of the Black Caps reach. It was thrilling stuff by a young man determined to show that he can take the step up when the big boys inevitably return.
Crucially for the Proteas, there were solid contributions from Wiaan Mulder (31 off 29 balls), Rubin Hermann (39 off 31 balls) and Dian Forrester (21* off 13 balls) in support of Esterhuizen as the visitors totalled a stealthy 187/4.
Batting coach Ashwell Prince would certainly have been pleased with the string of partnerships that yielded 55 runs for the second wicket, 49 for the third, and 61 off only 27 balls for the fourth, that he had been calling for throughout the series.
But it still required a decent effort with the ball on arguably the best batting surface of the series.
Seamer Gerald Coetzee set the upfront with an economical two-over spell that allowed his new-ball partner Mulder to reap the rewards before Ottniel Baartman (2/33) picked up his customary wicket in the Powerplay when he had the dangerous Dylan Cleaver caught by Jason Smith in the covers.
Smith, who had earlier shelled a chance, made further amends when he ran out Tim Robinson with a smart throw from the boundary.
The Proteas continued to eat into New Zealand's batting unit with timely strikes, none more so than when Baartman held his composure amidst the Black Caps onslaught when he had South African-born Bevan Jacobs (36 off 19 balls) caught on by the boundary by Forrester.
From there on the Black Caps had no way back with Coetzee (2/21) returning at full throttle to close out the match, and ultimately the series, with a couple of scalps at the backend.
SCOREBOARD
South Africa: 187/4 (Esterhuizen 75, Hermann 39, Sears 2/37)
New Zealand: 154/8 (Jacobs 36, Coetzee 2/21, Baartman 2/33, Mulder 2/28)
South Africa won by 33 runs, win series 3-2