PREVIEW
Follow UsThe narrative is the same for South Africa. There is a World Cup approaching fast. They have a promising bunch of players. However, no matter how much fire the Proteas may possess, it is tough to fear a side with a long history of imploding when all is at stake.
You need to go only as far as the previous T20 World Cup in 2022, when South Africa, only one win away from the semi-finals, faltered against the Netherlands. It was a big bottle job, even by their own standards.
In 2021, they crashed out on the net run rate, taking 13.3 overs in a run chase of 85. In 2012, three sixes from Umar Gul proved costly. In 2007, while chasing 154 against India, South Africa were restricted to 116, 10 runs short of the qualification mark — 126.
In sync with their 50-over World Cup history, South Africa’s fortunes in the T20 edition have also been sorry. However, a glance through their squad on paper, especially the batting, would certainly leave your jaw hanging.
Let’s forget that South Africa have won only two of their 11 T20Is since the 2022 World Cup and lost the recently-held three-match T20I series against West Indies 0-3. That’s a wrong metric to judge them given most of their star players have been missing in unison.
South Africa have batters like David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram, and Quinton de Kock, all of whom have scored more than 1,000 T20 runs as globetrotters since 2023. They will be the team's heartbeat, lending South Africa the dark horse tag in the World Cup.
There is a first time for everything, and the Rainbow Nation will hope that, finally, one South African cricket team will perform to its full potential throughout a World Cup event. However, multiple heartbreaks have only eroded that belief.
And that is the biggest paradox of South African cricket — to hope or not to hope.
What can win them the trophy?
Powerful middle order
Klaasen at four, Miller at five and Stubbs at six. South Africa have a powerful middle order of batters who are good against both pace and spin. Klaasen has been among the best batters in T20 cricket from 2023 onwards. No other middle-order batter has scored more T20 runs than Klaasen. He also has the highest strike rate by a distance. He has been a monstrous hitter of spin bowling in this duration — 840 runs, averaging 56 at a strike rate of 187.5.
Stubbs has hammered 737 runs this season (average 52.6, strike rate 174.2). 66% of these runs have come in the death overs, where he has struck at 225.6. He was the most prolific death overs' batter in the recenty-concluded IPL 2024. Miller’s numbers are grim in comparison (average 28.8, strike rate 133.5), but still remains one of the most dynamic T20 batters. Being a left-hander, Miller also provides the LHB-RHB combination to this trio.
On good batting pitches, they can elevate South Africa to towering scores. They are still good enough to tackle the most complete spin attacks on slower tracks.
Even above them, de Kock, Reeza Hendricks and Markram are established players. As they showcased in the 50-over World Cup last year, South Africa can bat the opposition out of the game in good batting conditions.
What can eliminate them
Inconsistent pace bowling spearheads
South Africa have the batting to mount big totals, but their pace bowling remains at risk of conceding those runs. The form of their three pace bowling spearheads—Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Marco Jansen—has plenty of promise on paper, but their recent form doesn’t warrant the same.
Nortje, troubled by injuries, had a sorry return to the IPL, where he was among the worst pacers of the season. Consequently, he lost his place in Delhi’s XI before the halfway stage in the league stage. Jansen played three games but picked only one wicket while leaking runs at an economy of 12.9 runs per over.
Rabada has averaged under 40 runs per wicket only once in the last four years in T20I cricket. In the 2022 World Cup, Rabada managed only two wickets in five matches while going at 9.4 runs per over in a tournament dominated by seam bowlers.
South Africa have two backups, but both Gerald Coetzee and Ottniel Baartman are relatively new at this level.
Hence, seam bowling will be the biggest threat to South Africa’s chances.
Things to watch out for
- Quinton de Kock’s strike rate
- Can Klaasen dominate the World Cup like he has dominated T20 leagues?
- Anrich Nortje’s form
Tactical MVP
South Africa’s batting peaks from number four onwards but falls off the cliff after number six. Marco Jansen is their only bet to lengthen their batting to number seven without compromising on their bowling resources.
Jansen has picked up with the bat in the last two years, scoring 419 runs in the format since 2023, averaging 29.9 at a strike rate of 145.5.
The Proteas will have the likes of Keshav Maharaj and Rabada to follow Jansen at seven, but both have fairly low batting numbers to inspire confidence in them.
Hence, despite his poor form in IPL, Jansen is a crucial player for South Africa. He has to remain fit and be in top form for South Africa to play their most balanced XI.
Probable first-choice XI
South Africa’s top seven picks themselves. They can play three spinners by adding the wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi to accompany the finger spinners Maharaj and Markram. Or they can play four pacers by including the likes of Coetzee or Baartman.
South Africa are scheduled three of their four group games in New York, where the conditions are unknown. Hence, assessing the conditions soon would be vital for them.
Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram ( c ), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje/Ottniel Baartman
Group Games Schedule
South Africa vs Sri Lanka, June 3, New York
South Africa vs Netherlands, June 8, New York
South Africa vs Bangladesh, June 10, New York
South Africa vs Nepal, June 15, Jamaica
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