Walter ‘excited’ by Proteas middle-order ahead of T20 World Cup

There might be concerns in other areas, but one aspect the Proteas can rely on at the T20 World Cup is an experienced middle-order packed with firepower.

The middle-order quartet in the 15-man squad – captain Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Tristan Stubbs – are among the most powerful batters in the global game.

All four players have scored runs this year, spearheaded by Klaasen and Stubbs, who were both among the top 10 run scorers at the 2024 SA20 tournament.

And both players again showed good form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) which concluded last week.

Klaasen made 479 runs in 15 IPL innings, including four half-centuries, at an average of 39.91 and a strike rate of 171.07. Stubbs hit 378 in 13 innings at an average of 54.00 and a strike rate of 190.90.

Experienced big-hitters

They are also likely to receive sufficient support at the World Cup (which begins this weekend) from Markram and Stubbs. Between the four middle-order specialists, they have played well over 200 T20 Internationals, and with an average strike rate of 149.51, they all have the ability to turn a game on its head.

Along with all-rounder Marco Jansen, Proteas head coach Rob Walter was pleased with his middle-order options, including the ability to shuffle the line-up based on match situations.

“Who wouldn’t be excited by Markram, Klaasen, Miller, Stubbs and Jansen? We just need to keep those guys hungry, keep them fresh and climb on the back of the momentum they’ve built up with their games,” Walter said.

“Those performances are not by luck. They’ve put in a lot of hard work developing their games in order to play that way, so we’re just looking forward to them doing it for green and gold now. They’ve been doing it in a bunch of different colours, but now it’s green and gold’s time, and that’s exciting.”

‘Same firepower’

Former Proteas batter Herschelle Gibbs agreed that the middle-order was powerful, but he felt it was important to select the batting order based on specific situations.

“I feel all of them have the same sort of firepower,” Gibbs told SportsBoom.

“If the Proteas are two down, I would not go with a set batting order… it doesn’t matter where they bat. It depends on the game situation.”