COMMENT: Kwena Maphaka hasn't quite lived up to expectations ... but time still is on his side

While youngsters such as Lhuan-dre Pretorius have stolen the show since getting a taste of international cricket against Zimbabwe over the last month, left-arm fast bowler Kwena Maphaka is yet to fire on all cylinders.

Maphaka was certainly a standout player at the U19 level and in domestic cricket, as his sheer pace proved too much for opposition batters. However, the same cannot be said about his impact in international cricket and his maiden SA20 season with the Paarl Royals.

The 19-year-old earned his maiden international cap in the Caribbean last year, becoming the youngest Proteas player in history.

Since that day, however, the fast bowler has yet to light up the international scene.

But the youngster still has plenty of time to acclimatise, having only accumulated in 11 international caps across the three formats, where he averages 56 in his two Tests, 24 in ODIs and 45 in the shortest format of the game.

Perhaps because Pretorius, his SA U19 teammate, has set the world alight since making his Proteas debut, there are growing concerns over the quiet start that Maphaka has had at the highest level.

In the ongoing Tri-Nations series in Zimbabwe, the youngster has played two out of the four games the Proteas have played, taking a two-wicket haul in one match while going wicketless in the other.

While he finds his feet in international cricket, Rubin Hermann, Senuran Muthusamy and Dewald Brevis, another set of newbies in international cricket, have been impressive in Zimbabwe.

As a top-order batter, Hermann has certainly given coach Shukri Conrad something to think about going into the Australia white-ball tour next month. Spin-bowling all-rounder Muthusamy and middle-order batter Bevis have had the same impact in their respective roles.

In Maphaka’s case, he is yet to make a strong enough case for a spot in the full-strength squad that will most likely be selected to travel to Australia next month.

After all, the Proteas have a long list of fast bowlers, and two of them, Marco Jansen and Nandre Burger, can certainly rank it up to the 145 kph mark, just like Maphaka.

As things stand, it is more likely that the youngster will be allowed back to domestic cricket to work on his game, particularly his consistency.

The Proteas are scheduled to play New Zealand in the final of the Tri-Nations series in Harare on Saturday, and Maphaka could get an opportunity to further showcase his skills.