Full name Thami Lungisa Tsolekile

Born October 9, 1980, Cape Town, Cape Province

Current age 28 years 270 days

Major teams South Africa, Cape Cobras, Western Province

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm offbreak

Fielding position Wicketkeeper

Wisden overview

Thami Tsolekile was a prodigy as a youngster. Although known as "Mara" by his friends on the dusty streets of Langa township in Cape Town, principally for his skills with a football at his feet, it was his scholarship to nearby Pinelands school which put him on a path to cricket stardom. At Pinelands, Tsolekile broke almost every existing Cape Town schoolboy cricket record, many of them set a few years previously by Jacques Kallis, and at the same time proved himself a superb hockey player. He went on to play hockey for South Africa at full international level, scoring on his debut, but concentrated on cricket as it offered the chance to make a genuine career from the sport. After making his first-class debut as a 19-year-old in 2000, he captained the South African team at the Under-19 World Cup the following year. Tsolekile has been first-choice wicketkeeper at Western Province for the past two seasons, winning the domestic championship with them in 2001-02. Although his glovework is sound and impressed the selectors on the 2003 A tour of Australia enough to earn him elevation to the full squad for the tour of England which followed. In 2009, he transferred to the Lions franchise. Tsolekile considers himself a batsman first and a wicketkeeper second. Neil Manthorp June 2009

Dec 19, 2004

Thami Tsolekile hollers

© AFP

Dec 16, 2004

Thami Tsolekile warms up

© Getty Images

Nov 16, 2004

Thami Tsolekile plays a sweep shot

© AFP

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