T20 World Cup may be too soon for ‘budding’ Proteas

Can South Africa win the 2022 T20 World Cup?

The ICC T20 World Cup is edging closer, with the biggest event in the Twenty20 game beginning on October 16 and ending on November 13. With just short of a month of cricket to come, every single side will hope that they can be the last team standing in Australia. Could it be South Africa lifting the trophy?

Tournament hosts Australia are a side that have been ear-marked as the favourites on their own patch, while India and England are also fancied, with the top three tough to split.

The Aussies are the reigning champions following their triumph over New Zealand in 2021, with their win by eight wickets a very comfortable one.

This year, there are a number of teams that will believe they have enough to bring the trophy home, but is one of those sides South Africa?

The Proteas are currently priced at 9.00 with leading bookmakers to win the World Cup, meaning they are a long way behind favourites Australia (3.50), England (4.00) and India (4.33).

With so many world class sides above them in the betting including New Zealand and Pakistan, they already look well off the pace.

However, this is likely the situation South Africa will want. The tag of favourites is not usually one teams deal well with. As the underdog, all of the pressure is removed, meaning the players can just play their natural game. This simply means that if they lose their first game, then attentions will switch to what they can do better next time, instead of having to open a deep review on why they lost.

This, alongside the likes of world-class talent of Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller with the bat, and Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje with the ball, means the Proteas have a good chance along with a fantastic team. The players dotted around these seven could change, but they will likely form the foundation of the side.

Of course, there will have to be an element of luck in a run to the final for the Proteas. After all, England, Australia and India possess all of the elements of teams that can win from any situation and in any game. To lift the trophy, South Africa will likely have to beat at least one of the sides in a knock-out match.

Ultimately, T20 cricket can sometimes come down to the toss. The decision to bat or bowl first can sometimes be the most important element in a game, meaning Bavuma will have to be as tactically sound as possible whenever he takes to the field for the toss. Choosing to bat when the pitch is bowler-friendly could prove terminal in a game, with this being true the other way round too.

If South Africa is to win the World Cup or, at the very least, go deep in the tournament, then a number of factors will have to go their way. For a side like the Proteas though, we think that they will be content with a decent showing and a few wins, with this World Cup likely coming too soon for this budding side.