Not just a knockaround, says Walter, as Proteas gear up for T20 series

With no T20 World Cup scheduled this year, Proteas limited overs coach Rob Walter says the SA squad will use the 20-over series against West Indies starting this weekend to help them prepare for the 50-over World Cup to be played in India in October.

While the national selectors handed caps to a handful of debutants during the recently concluded ODI series against the Windies, which ended in a 1-1 draw, Walter confirmed they would have a more experienced team on the park in the T20 series, ahead of crucial ODI matches against the Netherlands later this month which they must win to secure automatic World Cup qualification.

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“We obviously took the opportunity in the first two 50-over games against West Indies to give younger guys a chance for international experience both in terms of this year and our four-year cycle,” Walter said yesterday.

“But for me this T20 series also provides an opportunity to get guys like Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw back in the mix and get them ready for the Netherlands games.”

T20 focus

While the World Cup remained their focus this year, however, Walter felt it was crucial not to undermine the 20-over game and they hoped to use the three-match T20 series against West Indies to further develop their abilities in the shorter format.

“It’s always more serious than just having some fun. I think it’s about figuing out what the blueprint is in the T20 format of the game,” he said.

“Obviously you have less time, so you have to take more risks to get to where you want to be… but we’re always trying to learn and fine-tune what the end point will look like.

“These games provide opportunities for our players to assess the conditions in front of them and understand the best version of their own games… and it’s about trying to create context for the guys to execute their skills. It’s all about the bigger picture.”

The first of three T20 matches between South Africa and West Indies will be played in Centurion on Saturday.