Johannesburg — So that’s the 15-man squad done. There can be little debate about the composition thereof and Rassie van der Dussen’s misfortune probably made things easier for Victor Mpitsang’s panel.
Now for the hard part — picking a starting XI.
The Proteas squad for the T20 World Cup is high on quality, has depth and variety, with the selectors rewarding recent form — Reeza Hendricks and Rilee Rossouw — and backing experience in the shape of all-rounder Wayne Parnell.
Mpitsang acknowledged that the panel had plenty of headaches and in terms of selecting the squad they’ve managed those, but he’s also aware that once the tournament starts, further headaches await.
The most pressing of those surrounds the captain Temba Bavuma, who missed the tour to England with an elbow injury, allowing room for the re-emergence of Hendricks, who finished the T20 series against England as the best player across those three matches. With Rossouw having taken his chance and Quinton de Kock, despite poor form too important to axe at this stage, Bavuma’s spot in the starting XI will be back in the spotlight.
“That’s a tough call,” Mpitsang replied when asked if he could envisage omitting Bavuma from the starting team. “It’s a difficult question. I haven’t decided yet.”
The good thing is he has plenty of time on his side. The Proteas will also play three T20 Internationals in India later this month, and have a couple of warm-up games in Australia before they start the tournament in Hobart on October 24.
Hendricks and Rossouw both batted fluently against England, with Rossouw adding aggression in the power play. “He threw the first punch when we were under pressure. It’s good to see how he’s performed. Hopefully he continues with that good form in the World Cup,” said Mpitsang.
With the convenor admitting that Bavuma will open the batting, it could mean Hendricks returning to the bench.
“We saw in conditions in India (in June), Reeza opened and Temba batted at no.3. Rilee has done a great job at no.3, we’ll see how we balance that top order and make sure that we get the best out of those players and put (opposition) teams under pressure.”
Mpitsang did not rule out a horses for courses approach with venues and the opposition coming into the equation. Bavuma will feel confident that on the quicker pitches in Australia his ability to deflect the ball rather than have to power it over the boundary, may assist his style of play.
“I still think with the 15 that we have there, with the conditions that we will be facing, we can make the right calls. We have enough options there to make those calls.”
Having so many options is arguably the most outstanding feature of this Proteas squad. Having leaned on the experience of Parnell and Dwaine Pretorius for the crucial seam bowling all-rounder berths the selectors have also emphasised the need for adaptability.
“Wayne gives us the left-arm variation and what he can do both up front with the new ball and in the back end and how he bats. Dwaine can bowl in the middle and in the end, which is what stood out.”
The emergence of Tristan Stubbs also allowed the selectors to take a different approach in fitting the squad together compared to when they picked the group for last year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE.
“One thing we had to reflect on is the resources we had,” said Mpitsang. “If you look at the guys brought in, they have a specific role to play, especially when it comes to our batting. We felt it was very top heavy (in the UAE), and the likes of Tristan Stubbs and Heinrich Klaasen, their roles are quite specific, in how they finish innings. This was more role specific (selection) than what we had last season.”
PROTEAS T20 WORLD CUP SQUAD
Temba Bavuma (capt)‚ Quinton de Kock‚ Reeza Hendricks‚ Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram‚ David Miller‚ Lungi Ngidi‚ Anrich Nortjé‚ Wayne Parnell‚ Dwaine Pretorius‚ Kagiso Rabada‚ Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi‚ Tristan Stubbs.
Reserves: Bjorn Fortuin, Andile Phehlukwayo, Marco Jansen.
IOL Sport