An all-round performance in the Tri-Nation Under-19s Tournament in 2012 against Zimbabwe Under19 was the first glance of Shaylen Pillay's abilities as a cricketer. For his all-round effort where he bagged two crucial wickets and scored a brilliant 91*, Pillay was adjudged the Man of the Match. As a result of Pillay's heroics, South Africa Under19 was able to beat Zimbawe Under19 for the third straight time in the tournament.

His first-class debut that came a year ago in 2011, wasn't a great one as Pillay was dismissed for a 4-ball duck against Griqualand West. However, his List-A debut came against the same team and this time around Pillay scored a pivotal 77* and helped his team to notch up a win against Griqualand in the CSA Provincial One-Day Challenge at Johannesburg. In the shortest format, Shaylen's record isn't a noteworthy one with a paltry batting average of 10.60 and a high score of 25.