Aiden Markram of South Africa during the 5th Momentum ODI match between South Africa and Sri Lanka at PPC Newlands on March 16, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)
With less than a week to go before South Africa announce their squad for the Cricket World Cup, 80% of the 15-man roster is set in stone and unfortunately for those trying to nail down their place with a last-ditch surge in performance, a few CSA T20 Challenge games between now and the big reveal are not going to make much difference.
The 15-man Proteas squad will be announced on Thursday in a live broadcast from SuperSport’s Randburg studios and, barring absolute shocks, the only three questions marks revolve around the reserve batsman position, the second all-rounder and the back-up fast bowler.
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Ken Borland’s World Cup squad:
Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Lungi Ngidi, Dwaine Pretorius, Hashim Amla, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje.
Key player – Kagiso Rabada
It’s understandable that the Proteas have made no bones about their bowling attack being their chief weapon in England. Because of that, they can’t win the World Cup without Kagiso Rabada firing at his best.
Imran Tahir is obviously also a potential world-beater, but teams can play him out without taking risks. Rabada, however, can make key strikes up front, especially if conditions are conducive to seam bowling, and his pace and skills will also be crucial in the death overs.
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South Africa will also have the good fortune to be able to choose their first-choice squad because the injuries and niggles currently keeping JP Duminy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi and Anrich Nortje out of T20 action are not predicted to put their participation in doubt for the World Cup, which starts on May 30 when the Proteas take on hosts England.
Unbelievably, an exceptional talent like Aiden Markram might be left at home as he is battling with Hashim Amla and Reeza Hendricks for just two places.
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Jaco van der Merwe’s World Cup squad:
Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, JP Duminy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Chris Morris, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Key player – David Miller
With an occasional brittle top order and not much batting left after the middle order, David Miller could be the linchpin for the Proteas in the UK. After making an initial name for himself as an enforcer who can clear the boundary, he has developed into a much more complete batsman over the years by showing huge resolve,. He is a man for the big occasions and they they don’t come much bigger than the World Cup.
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Despite his recent struggles, the selectors are unlikely to leave out Amla, simply because of his incredible record: 7910 runs at an average of 49.74 and a strike-rate of 89.22; even in his last series, against Pakistan, he averaged 53.50 at a strike-rate of 86.63.
It may well just come down to who is currently in the better form between Markram and Hendricks.
Markram made 67* in the last ODI against Sri Lanka and then blasted a match-winning century in the Momentum One-Day Cup final, while Hendricks made two sixties in his last two appearances for South Africa – the T20s against Sri Lanka – but has made 11 and a first-ball duck in his two T20 games since then for the Highveld Lions.
The race for the second all-rounder berth behind Andile Phehlukwayo seems to be between Dwaine Pretorius and his young Lions team-mate, Wiaan Mulder.
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Heinz Schenk’s World Cup squad:
Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, JP Duminy, Dwaine Pretorius, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Aiden Markram, Vernon Philander.
Key player – Quinton de Kock
Without the dynamism of AB de Villiers in the middle-order and established stroke-makers such as David Miller and JP Duminy still blowing hot and cold, the onus on providing the Proteas with an attacking batting spark falls on Quinton de Kock. The gifted left-hander’s ability to take the game away from opposition bowlers from the outset is a big weapon and could prove crucial in negating his team’s propensity for falling away during the middle overs. If he stagnates or loses form, there’s trouble.
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Pretorius is the incumbent, has never let the Proteas down with his bowling and showed his batting ability with his 77* in the last T20 against Sri Lanka, but Proteas coach Ottis Gibson is known to really rate Mulder, who has come into some great form of his own domestically.
But the Proteas might be missing a trick by not having an explosive, X-factor all-rounder like Chris Morris in their line-up as well.
As a new-ball bowler, he can also be the back-up fast man, and the whole package he brings is surely more than that of just a specialist fast bowler.
And there are no other pacemen really bashing down the door for inclusion in the squad, with Nortje probably the first in line after his encouraging debut series against Sri Lanka.
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