South Africa play their second three-match T20 series this year against the West Indies, starting at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago, on Friday. Besides some new faces such as Kwena Maphaka, a few older hands also have points to prove over the next few days.
TimesLIVE looks at five Proteas players who will be in the spotlight in this T20 series:
Kwena Maphaka
“There are not many schoolboys who can say they’ve run out in front of a full Wankhede Stadium and have that as a reference point,” coach Rob Walter said of the 18-year-old. Selecting him now is almost the logical next step in a career that has unfolded at breakneck speed. The hype can be overwhelming but Walter, who got his first look at Maphaka in the flesh at training this week, is impressed by his maturity. “As a young man, it is up to him and his support group — of which we are just one portion — to keep things in perspective.”
Lungi Ngidi
In the past 18 months, Ngidi has made it too easy for selectors to drop him. Whether it be the Test team or the T20 World Cup squad, when looking to limit the numbers Ngidi has been deemed surplus to requirements and that needs to change, starting with the series against the West Indies. There’s no doubting the quality at his disposal but Ngidi’s consistency has been lacking. He’s stated he has worked on his fitness, and his enjoyment of the sport is higher than it has ever been. With South Africa’s limitless fast bowling depth, Ngidi can’t rest on his laurels if his international career is not to turn into a stop/start one.
Five players in the spotlight in SA's T20 series against West Indies
South Africa play their second three-match T20 series this year against the West Indies, starting at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago, on Friday. Besides some new faces such as Kwena Maphaka, a few older hands also have points to prove over the next few days.
TimesLIVE looks at five Proteas players who will be in the spotlight in this T20 series:
Kwena Maphaka
“There are not many schoolboys who can say they’ve run out in front of a full Wankhede Stadium and have that as a reference point,” coach Rob Walter said of the 18-year-old. Selecting him now is almost the logical next step in a career that has unfolded at breakneck speed. The hype can be overwhelming but Walter, who got his first look at Maphaka in the flesh at training this week, is impressed by his maturity. “As a young man, it is up to him and his support group — of which we are just one portion — to keep things in perspective.”
Lungi Ngidi
In the past 18 months, Ngidi has made it too easy for selectors to drop him. Whether it be the Test team or the T20 World Cup squad, when looking to limit the numbers Ngidi has been deemed surplus to requirements and that needs to change, starting with the series against the West Indies. There’s no doubting the quality at his disposal but Ngidi’s consistency has been lacking. He’s stated he has worked on his fitness, and his enjoyment of the sport is higher than it has ever been. With South Africa’s limitless fast bowling depth, Ngidi can’t rest on his laurels if his international career is not to turn into a stop/start one.
Tristan Stubbs
He elevated his status at this year’s World Cup and is gradually becoming an important all-format player. As painful as the outcome of the World Cup final was, Stubbs’ performance in that match is something Walter believes he can build on. “Now it's about creating a platform to win games for South Africa and for him to become good at that,” said the Proteas coach. Like Ngidi, Stubbs said a new mentality has helped him improve his performances in the past 12 months. “The mental side of my game, while batting, has become better,” he said, adding he draws on enjoying what he’s doing rather than stressing about performance.
Donovan Ferreira
With two T20 Internationals under his belt, the 26-year-old is still in the developmental stage of his career. Breaking into a Proteas middle order that has Stubbs, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen as options won’t be easy, but he has the tools to do so. He has an unique all-rounder game, supplementing his big hitting with being a wicketkeeper and he can bowl passable off-spin. What he needs is a few match defining performances in green and gold to be considered an option for the numerous white ball tournaments on the international calendar
Reeza Hendricks
After a glorious run of form over two years, Hendricks laid the egg at the World Cup. That would have hurt. Hendricks, 35, will know there are younger options the public want the selectors to consider — including Dewald Brevis, Matthew Breetzke and Jordan Hermann — so a continuation of his poor World Cup form could be the end of his international career. His experience matters, particularly with Quinton de Kock not available, but Hendricks needs to return to the form that saw him claim a player of the series award against England in 2022.
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