Proteas twins: All you need to know about Marco and Duan Jansen

Marco has been a step ahead throughout their careers, but Duan has finally made his international breakthrough. The first set of twins to have played for the Proteas, Marco and Duan Jansen are similar in more ways than one. Having made their top-flight domestic debuts just nine months apart, Duan has finally cracked the nod at the highest level of the game, joining his brother in the national squad. We take a look at where the two siblings started, what they’ve achieved, and how they compare after following different paths through their careers. Where they started Marco and Duan were born in Klerksdorp on 1 May 2000, before moving to Potchefstroom where they spent their formative years. It was their father, former Free State Cheetahs rugby player Koos Jansen, who first spotted their talent at the age of nine and started coaching both boys in the nets. They attended Potchefstroom Gimnasium at high school level, and North West at provincial level, where their talent was nurtured. They later moved to Bloemfontein before ultimately settling in Centurion where they currently represent the Titans in domestic competitions. Stepping up While both players showed potential since their youth, Marco has been a step ahead throughout their elite careers. Despite having similar talent, and both being left-arm fast bowlers who can hold a bat, Marco got the nod first, making his top-flight domestic debut for North West in April 2018, while Duan had to wait until January 2019 to represent the same team. Marco went on to be given his first chance for the Proteas in December 2021, while Duan had to show a lot more patience, making his international debut last month. Making progress Although Marco is far better known, having earned himself a regular spot in the national squad over the last five years, Duan has also been grafting hard. Both players have made impacts around the world, competing in professional limited overs leagues in various countries. Marco has played in the SA20 on home soil, the IPL in India, the MLC in the US and The Hundred in the UK. Duan, meanwhile, has participated in the SA20, the IPL, the T20 Blast in the UK and the CPL in the Caribbean. Career stats Marco has played 83 international matches across all three formats, while Duan has played only six. And though Duan performed well on the recently concluded tour to Namibia, and he has been rewarded for his efforts after being added to the Proteas squad to face Australia later this month, he still needs to prove himself against higher-ranked opposition. Across all levels of professional cricket (in the first-class, list A and T20 formats) Marco has taken 417 wickets in 225 matches, and Duan has grabbed 199 scalps in 127 games. Rare pairing It’s unclear how often we will see them playing in the same matches, with the brothers filling similar roles, but the Jansens are among a short list of twins to have played international cricket. Though exact statistics on how many twins have played internationally are not available, others include the likes of Steve and Mark Waugh (Australia), Hamish and James Marshall (New Zealand), and Craig and Jamie Overton (England). Aside from being the first twin siblings to have represented the Proteas, the Jansen brothers are also the first twins to have competed in the SA20 and IPL competitions.