The series may well have been decided by then, but the third ODI against Australia in Potchefstroom at the end of the month could hold special significance for a set of twins.
The North West university town is dear to both Marco and Duan Jansen — the only twins to have ever represented the Proteas — who were born just 40 minutes down the road in nearby Klerksdorp and schooled at Potchefstroom Gimnasium before making their professional debuts for the local outfit, the NW Dragons.
The twins have only ever played together twice in the senior professional ranks, which would make a twin outing for the Proteas at the former JB Marks Oval, even more significant.
“To play any game for the Proteas together would be special,” Marco said. “But I think if it were to happen in Potch, that’ll be even more special.
“We grew up near Potch and obviously went to high school in Potch. If it pans out like that, it’ll be awesome. If that opportunity presents itself, you better believe that we’re going to make the most of it and enjoy it as much as we can.”
Marco is, of course, the accomplished international superstar, a regular presence in franchise leagues all around the world who has already played for the Proteas 83 times across formats.
Duan, meanwhile, only made his international bow on the recent Namibia tour and owes his presence in the Proteas squad for this looming ODI series, starting on Thursday at Kingsmead, to Ottneil Baartman suffering a hamstring injury.
But Marco is confident that his identical twin Duan can take the step up against the Aussies if required.
“I’m very, very proud of him and very happy for him,” Marco said. “Because I’m obviously his brother. I know what he’s capable of. I know what he can do.
“He struggled a bit at the beginning of his career. But I think he’s now in a place where things are coming together nicely for him. He’s comfortable with his game. He’s confident in his game. He knows what he can do.”
A graphic illustrating all the twins to have played men’s international cricket.
Having Duan within the Proteas set-up will certainly be beneficial to the mental well-being of the Proteas’ premier all-rounder.
Being quite a family-oriented individual who thrives on interactions with his loved ones, Marco has been forced to sacrifice much of that of late due to his globetrotting franchise commitments that have taken him from India (IPL) to the US (MLC) and the UK (The Hundred) over the past few months.
“I think the travelling aspect of things, me being away from home, being away from my family, my people, my friends, I think that sort of gets to, I think, any person,” he explained.
“I grew up in a family household where we’re all together, used to having dinners together, birthday parties together, weekends together, evenings together, like all those kinds of stuff.
“It’s just sort of that sort of thing where it’s like you miss home. It’s like you’ve been away for two months or whatever, and then you just miss being home.”
Marco will certainly appreciate playing international cricket at home more than most. Since the third ODI against Pakistan three days shy of Christmas back in 2024, the lanky left-arm seamer has only played a further two Tests and a solitary T20I in almost two years on South African soil.
It is for this reason he greatly valued the recent first-class outing for the Titans, simply to acclimatize to home conditions and find his rhythm again.
“Before that four-day game, I only had three days of prep, felt heavily undercooked. But in the match, I felt good. My timing felt good. My body felt good,” he said.
“On the third day, I bowled like a 10-over spell where I felt 100% good. I felt nice. The rhythm was good. On the back of that four-day game, I feel very good from a rhythm and a bowling perspective.”
All this bodes well for Marco, and the Proteas, as the 27-year-old prepares to lead an attack sans injured stalwarts such as Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, along with Baartman, on Thursday.
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