At 2.06 metres tall, Marco Jansen's height immediately marks him out as a fast bowler but he began his cricket career as a batter. Jansen's first coach was his father, Koos, who trained both him and his twin brother Duan in their home town of Potchefstroom. At the age of 17, the pair were picked to bowl to the touring Indian side in the nets and impressed the likes of Virat Kohli with his pace and accuracy.

Jansen went on to tour India with South Africa's Under-19 side in 2019 and, that season, was the leading wicket-taker for North West in the three-day provincial competition. He travelled with South Africa's Test squad to Pakistan in early 2021 and was signed by Mumbai Indians for the IPL. Jansen made his Test debut against India in the Boxing Day Test in 2021, and became the first player born in the 2000s to be capped for the national side.
Firdose Moonda