His ability to both bowl effectively and add crucial runs makes him a complete package for the team.
Anil Kumble has praised Marco Jansen for his brilliant performances during the Champions Trophy 2025. In South Africa’s victory over England, Jansen played a crucial role for his side as he took three early wickets in seven overs. He also took three catches, one of which was off his own bowling.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Kumble shared his thoughts on Jansen’s performance. He mentioned that while Jansen is still young, he has already played a lot of cricket and has matured as a player. Kumble feels that grabbing three wickets in the match will boost Jansen’s confidence. He also complimented Jansen’s athleticism, mentioning his fine fielding and multiple catches.
“I think he’s still very young, although he has played quite a lot of cricket. He has certainly matured,” Kumble said. “I’m sure these three wickets [will give him confidence], and also you can see his athleticism in the field with all those catches.
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The former India Captain also spoke about Jansen’s development as an all-rounder, highlighting his improvement in batting. He pointed out that Jansen has played important knocks for South Africa in the past, making valuable contributions lower down the order. According to Kumble, Jansen’s ability to both, bowl effectively and add crucial runs makes him a complete package for the team, especially in the No.7 or No.8 position.
“He has improved a lot with his batting as well. He has contributed with the bat on many occasions for South Africa. So in that sense he’s a complete package for South Africa at No. 7 or No. 8,” he added.
Kumble was impressed with Jansen’s bowling ability, particularly with the new ball. He noted that Jansen can reverse swing the ball into the batters, so he is a difficult bowler to play against. His height also makes it more difficult, as it produces steep bounce, like when Phil Salt found it difficult to play him. Kumble also said that having a bowler such as Jansen brings variation to the attack of South Africa, which already has numerous choices.
“And with the ball, with the new ball he can bring the ball back in. He’s tall so it’s not easy for the batters to just get under him,” he said. “We saw that with Phil Salt, it just took off. It was quite steep, the bounce, and he couldn’t get over it. You need that variety in your bowling attack and that’s something that South Africa have in plenty,” he further stated.
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