Wisden overview
Robin Peterson's international debut came and went in the blink of an eye. One minute he was minding his own business in South Africa, the next he had been flown in to Colombo especially for the 2002 Champions Trophy semi-final against India. And, almost as soon as South Africa had been bundled out of the tournament, he was out in the cold once again, despite bowling ten tidy overs and displaying an admirable big-match temperament. Peterson, however, has been lurking on the fringes of the national set-up for several years, and a permanent place in the side seems to be a matter of when, rather than if. A left-arm spinner with a much-hyped secret weapon in the style of Saqlain Mushtaq's doosra, Peterson first made the headlines in July 2000, when he was drafted in to the Test squad as cover for Paul Adams. He was just 20 years old, and, as a Cape Colored from Eastern Province, it was widely believed that his elevation was on racial grounds, rather than ability. But he took these jibes in his stride, and has continued to develop in the intervening years. His pugnacious lower/middle-order batting has become a valuable string to his bow. Andrew Miller

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