Bavuma will be the captain of the Proteas squad for the T20 World Cup
The Proteas squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia next month will be announced on Tuesday and Temba Bavuma will be the captain of that side.
Bavuma has returned to action again after the torn elbow tendon that ruled him out of the entire tour of England, and has played four matches for the Central Gauteng Lions in the Namibia Global T20 that finished on Friday. He scored 103 runs in those four innings, including a determined 56 off 46 balls against the Lahore Qalandars, at a strike-rate of 122.61.
Reeza Hendricks has been in fine form in that same tournament, racking up 257 runs off just 166 balls in his four innings. He was the leading run-scorer in the event by miles and scored a matchwinning 94 not out off 59 deliveries in Friday’s final. Given his spectacular displays in England with the Proteas, he is a certainty for the 15-man World Cup squad.
Heinrich Klaasen has also done well for the Proteas this year and is likely to be included as the back-up wicketkeeper to Quinton de Kock, while Rilee Rossouw and Tristan Stubbs showed exactly the sort of aggression and intent in England that will be required in Australia.
That unfortunately means Rassie van der Dussen, such a stalwart of the Proteas team in recent years, is likely to miss out, especially since there are doubts over whether he will be fit, given the fractured finger he suffered in the second Test.
But even if he was fit, Van der Dussen, whose strike-rate in his last dozen matches has been 115.20, would probably lose out anyway because De Kock, Bavuma, Hendricks, Markram and Rossouw are all vying for the same spots in the top four of the batting order.
Three members of South Africa’s inspirational Test pace attack – Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje – should make the squad, with all-rounders Dwaine Pretorius and Wayne Parnell, who took a rousing five-wicket haul in the Proteas’ last T20, against Ireland, as back-up.
Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj will be the spinners.
Andile Phehlukwayo, who has the ability to pull off the miraculous with the white ball, but has not been able to perform consistently enough, is likely to miss out on selection, as is the exciting Marco Jansen.
Likely squad – Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi, Heinrich Klaasen, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Rilee Rossouw.