OPINION: Very little point to Proteas’ T20 World Cup warm-ups

The Proteas will build-up to the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies with a three game series against the Caribbean hosts towards the end of this month.

However, it is set to be an almost pointless series as the Proteas will be missing the bulk of their T20 World Cup squad, who will still be involved in the IPL in India.

Only five members of the 15-man World Cup squad, namely Ottniel Baartman, Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin have been named in the Proteas T20 provisional squad for the West Indies series.

IPL commitments

Although it has been rumoured that Baartman has joined up with the Delhi Capitals at the IPL which would also call his availability into question if true.

The West Indies series should be the perfect opportunity for the Proteas T20 side to start gelling and building momentum into the World Cup, but instead will not really benefit anyone, other than the four or five players available.

The rest will all link up at the conclusion of the IPL and head straight into the World Cup without having played together before the tournament.

England showed how it should be done by making all of their IPL players unavailable for the playoffs, with them all set to link up before their warm-up series against Pakistan.

But that is something we will likely never see Cricket South Africa do as they are terrified of offending the BCCI (Cricket India) who play a major role in CSA’s flagship T20 tournament the SA20.

Unfair

The West Indies series would normally be a good occasion for some of the players currently bubbling under the Proteas team to get a chance to impress on the international stage.

But with players such as Matthew Breetzke, Rassie van der Dussen, Wiaan Mulder and Lungi Ngidi desperately unlucky to have missed out on selection for the World Cup, it is almost unfair to ask them to play in the warm-up series and then head home.

In all it is almost a pointless series and build-up for the Proteas ahead of the showpiece event, especially when it could have been a great opportunity for their full World Cup squad to prepare.