Jansen finally gets his Proteas moment

Duan Jansen’s Proteas call-up is the reward for a journey in which he had to forge his own path while watching twin brother Marco establish himself internationally.

Jansen, 26, will make his international cricket debut when SA face Namibia and Zimbabwe in a T20I tri-series in Windhoek, starting on Friday (2pm).

The three teams will meet each other twice before the final on September 6, with the Proteas then staying in Namibia for a three-match ODI series against the hosts.

For Jansen, reaching the international stage has been about more than performances.

It has also been a mental journey, particularly watching Marco make his Proteas breakthrough before him.

“When his career started, it was a bit difficult because obviously the media and people are around asking a lot of questions,” Jansen said.

“But I think from four, five years ago, two years into his Proteas journey, for me mentally, specifically, I had to take my own route.”

That change in mindset allowed Jansen to turn his brother’s success into a source of insight.

He changed his training approach and watched Marco’s matches differently, asking questions before and after games and using his experiences to gain a glimpse of what awaited him.

“Anyone else is in that position, they’ll see that as a positive, because you can get a glimpse of how it’s running in front of your setup,” he said.

“Our relationship got better, stronger when it comes to cricket-related stuff.”

While Marco’s career provided a window into international cricket, Jansen’s own journey hit a difficult period.

He spoke openly about the last two years, when injuries and a lack of playing time left him in a difficult mental space before his move to the Titans sparked what he described as a “180-degree turn” in a positive direction.

“It didn’t feel like I was improving even though I was putting in the hard work, working five hours a day sometimes,” Jansen said.

“So just to work on the mental side of things, even though there weren’t rewards then.”

Working with a family psychologist helped him through that period, while he also found strength in his spiritual life.

Now, with the Proteas call-up secured, those days have taken on new meaning.

“For me personally, it means a bit more because the last two years, when I was with the Dragons and [had] injuries, or not playing, mentally I was in a different space,” he said.

“And when I moved to the Titans, I just had a really 180-degree turn in a good way.”

Jansen’s immediate goal is to make the most of his opportunity, but there is a bigger ambition he shares with Marco — representing SA together.

“My personal goal is to play together for the Proteas,” he said.

“If it comes and if it aligns in that way, then we both play.”

For now, Jansen has finally earned a moment that once seemed distant — on his own terms.