A solid all-rounder who bowls right-arm medium pace and bats right-handed, Vernon Philander was given the opportunity to represent his country, South Africa in their U19 squad on their tour to England in 2003. He also got the chance to play in the ICC U19 World Cup that followed.
A Western Province player on the domestic front, 'Pro' had a short stint with Devon in 2004, and helped his team to a famous victory over Leicestershire. He has been a consistent and successful player for the Cape Cobras, his best season being 2006-07, where his batting average rose to 72 and with the ball, he touched 30. That instantly earned him a place in South Africa's national team and he was included in the ODI side to face Ireland in 2007. There, an impressive show in the form of a four-wicket haul gained him a berth in the T20 World Championships.
With an uncanny knack of landing the ball in the right place more than most, Philander is one of those bowlers who can bore a batsman out, bowling with consistency day in day out. Extreme pace may not be his ally but this Bellville-born South African has the ability to move the ball at a decent pace both ways and a Test call wasn't far away if you had such attributes with you. Debuting with the red ball against Australia in 2011, Philander made an instant impression with his accuracy. Bagging eight wickets in the game, he helped South Africa to a comfortable victory that won him the Man of the Match award. That performance laid the foundation for more to follow and in the following six Tests, Philander fired past the 50-wicket mark making him the second-fastest in the history of the game.
Ear-marked to be one of South Africa's future stars, Philander has altogether added a different dimension to an already dangerous South African attack comprising of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. As far as the wickets-tally is concerned, Philander has just started and one thing is for sure, his appetite will just continue to grow.
