It doesn’t take long for the Proteas’ World Cup campaign to get serious, with back-to-back fixtures this week against Afghanistan and New Zealand pivotal to their chances of progressing beyond the first group phase.
While the remaining top eight nations spread in, the other three groups have relatively soft landings in the first week, the Afghans, New Zealanders, and South Africans have to hit the ground running in the only first-round group that carries a semblance of jeopardy.
The Proteas will say all the right things about not underestimating tomorrow’s opponents, Canada, in their opening fixture. However, that match, at the vast Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, should be won with little hassle.
The Canadians, who qualified through the Americas Regional Finals in June last year, have played very little international cricket recently and lost warm-up matches against Italy and Nepal.
The focus for the South Africans, as fast bowler Kagiso Rabada mentioned, will be on their own plans and how those are executed.
Seam bowling options
Of greater interest will be the composition of the South African attack. Rabada believes the squad has all bases covered, and while there are plenty of seam bowling options— including two left-arm quicks — it’s the lack of variety on the spinning front that is concerning.
Both Keshav Maharaj and George Linde are left-arm spinners; Linde is taller, so he gets more bounce, while Maharaj gives it more of a rip. “Kesh and George are completely different types of left-arm spinners, so there’s variation in that,” Proteas captain Aiden Markram said before the tournament.
And then there’s the part-timers, who include Markram. “We’ll get Dewald [Brevis] and Stubbo [Tristan Stubbs] [and] myself bowling, and if conditions allow, we will have a role to play. I feel we have enough, but it’s condition dependent.”
The problem for the selectors was that no wrist spinner demanded selection. Leg-spinner Nqaba Peter was given several opportunities but needs game time domestically to refine his technique and strategy, while Tabraiz Shamsi was never deemed good enough by head coach Shukri Conrad.
Varun Chakravarthy (India), Adam Zampa (Australia), Adil Rashid (England) and the mysterious Usman Tariq (Pakistan), with his two elbows, all provide variety and wicket-taking threats for their teams.
SA’s most potent weapon
South Africa will have to box cleverly with their resources. Lungi Ngidi may be the most potent weapon at the World Cup, given the various slower balls at his disposal and the control he has developed to use them.
Rabada talked about the importance of evolving as a quick bowler in order to not only survive in the modern T20 world — where six-hitting is the primary goal for batters — but to even thrive.
He mentioned how it was important to draw confidence from the good performances, but also reflect and heed the lessons from the bad ones.
The Proteas have certainly experienced more bad than good since coming up short in the 2024 World Cup final against India. They’ve won only 12 of the 32 T20 Internationals they’ve played since then and conceded totals in excess of 200 seven times. One of those occasions saw England rack up 304/2 at Old Trafford.
You cannot say there is a favourite in this tournament. I think it’s up for grabs. Anyone can take it; we’re putting our hand up for sure
— Kagiso Rabada, Proteas fast bowler
The composition of the attack depends on the opposition and on conditions.
Ahmedabad, where the Proteas play their first three matches, is unique as its centre square consists of different soil components — some strips have black soil, which aid spin, and some have a red soil base, which is bouncier and gives the fast bowlers help.
Red soil pitch
Then there are a couple consisting of both.
The Proteas may play both Maharaj and Linde and use more overs from Markram, while a red soil pitch may see them load the attack with seamers. “We have to understand how best to put everything together,” said Rabada.
Against Canada, that may not be important, but it will be against the Afghans and New Zealanders. In addition, Tuesday’s match against Afghanistan is during the day, so elements like dew won’t play a role.
Meanwhile, Conrad is also aware that the best-laid plans can be destroyed by the fickle nature of the format. “There are times you can deliver your best ball and the batter inside edges it for four.
“Do you review that and say, ‘shit, we were terrible; we lost,’ but did I execute? Yes. Did the opponent have a little bit of luck? Yes. That is the rub of the green,” he said.
Luck will have its role, alongside skill and strategy. The Proteas, with plenty of players in form after the SA20, are confident. They may not be viewed as favourites in India — the Indians are — but Rabada felt the competition was wide open.
“You cannot say there is a favourite in this tournament. I think it’s up for grabs. Anyone can take it; we’re putting our hand up for sure.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.