Robin Peterson, who announced his retirement from the game on Wednesday, is our Legend of the Week.
At a time when South Africa was craving a reliable spinning option, the Proteas called upon Peterson to add variety to a bowling attack dominated with pace. He made his Test debut for the Proteas in 2003 against Bangladesh and made an instant impact, taking five wickets in a match that SA dominated, winning by an innings and 17 runs and with that the series 2-0.
He went on to play 15 Tests for the Proteas and took 38 wickets. He was particularly handy in South Africa’s 1-0 series win against Australia Down Under, taking six wickets in the deciding match in Perth, which helped his side claim a 307-run victory.
It was in ODIs where Peterson played the majority of his cricket for the Proteas, taking 75 wickets in 79 matches.
Against England he saved SA from a series defeat, taking two consecutive wickets in the 44th over of the fifth ODI to reduce England to 175-9, with Wayne Parnell claiming the final wicket to bowl England out for 182. Peterson took 3-22 on the day and the Proteas batsmen cruised past the target to end the series 2-2.
Peterson played most of his first-class cricket for the Cobras before he joined the Knights for the 2016-17 season and played in all five Sunfoil Series matches. He took 396 wickets in 144 matches at an average of 33.28 before finally hanging up his boots.
