OPINION: Batters must stand up if Proteas are to lift World Cup trophy

Heading into the T20 World Cup, there were questions raised around the fitness and form of the Proteas bowling unit, while the team’s batting line-up were expected to carry them at the tournament.

Four games in, however, the bowlers have done well to shine under pressure, and none of the squad’s powerful batters haven’t consistently hit their straps.

After four matches in the opening round, fast bowler Anrich Nortje is the joint second-highest wicket taker in the tournament with nine scalps. And while Nortje was a dark horse ahead of the showpiece, having struggled to find form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after returning from a back injury, he also boasts an impressive average of 7.77 and an economy rate of 4.37.

Spin bowler Keshav Maharaj and seamer Ottneil Baartman shone at the death in their last two matches, and in his only match thus far, spinner Tabraiz Shamsi took 4/19 to prevent a stunning defeat against lowly ranked Nepal last week.

Struggling batters

But the Proteas batters have struggled. Only David Miller (101) contributed more than 80 runs in the group stage, and he is the side’s only player to have to hit a half-century.

On the unpredictable drop-in pitch in New York, the batters had somewhat of an excuse, but it was still concerning that all three games they played at Nassau County Stadium were closely contested.

And after moving to Saint Vincent, they battled again, with a middle-order collapse leaving them in trouble as they narrowly escaped a shock defeat against Nepal.

Super 8 stage

Regardless of the conditions, if the Proteas are going to compete for the World Cup title, the strong batting line-up needs to deliver against tougher opposition in the Super 8 stage and the playoffs.

In the next round they will face two-time winners West Indies and reigning champions England, as well as a United States team who held Pakistan to a tie in the opening round.

If the first round was challenging for the Proteas, it’s only going to get tougher, and while the bowlers are doing their job, we need the batters to stand up too.