Ken Borland

Reeza Hendricks has surely now sealed his World Cup spot as he and Aiden Markram banded together in a dominating century stand that allowed South Africa to score 211/5 in the first T20 against Ireland in Bristol, a score that was safe as houses with ace spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi doing their usual hustle in the middle overs.

After the Proteas had elected to bat first and Quinton de Kock (7) ran himself out in the fourth over, Hendricks notched his fourth successive half-century, scoring a beautifully-paced 74 off 53 balls, scoring freely through the off-side in particular as he collected 10 fours and a six.

South Africa were 47/2 in the powerplay, but Hendricks and Markram then combined superbly for a stand of 112 off just 62 balls for the third wicket.

Markram was explosive, blasting a punishing 56 off just 27 deliveries, including five sixes, but he and Hendricks fell in successive deliveries to leg-spinner Gareth Delany in the 16^th over.

That left South Africa on 158/4 after 16 overs, but Tristan Stubbs showed he has the priceless finishing gift as he scored a spectacular 24 off just 11 balls, filled with remarkable strokes. Dwaine Pretorius also did his job with a dashing 21 not out off only seven deliveries, the Proteas scoring 53 runs in the last four overs.

Maharaj, deputising as captain because David Miller had a back spasm, and Shamsi were then the two best South African bowlers. Maharaj struck in the eighth and 10^th overs to take 2/29 in his four overs, while Shamsi was also excellent at the other end with 1/22 in his first three overs.

They reduced Ireland to 111/5 after 12 overs, but Lorcan Tucker won himself many fans as he did not sit back, lashing a destructive 78 off just 38 balls.

George Dockrell supported him brilliantly with a defiant 43 off 28 as Ireland regrouped to need 71 off the last six overs.

Shamsi had to stand up and bowl the 17^th over and he claimed the key wicket of Tucker, top-edging a sweep, and Dockrell fell to Pretorius next ball.

Lungi Ngidi bowled an effective array of slower balls at the death and conceded just 16 runs in his last two overs, while Pretorius went for just five off the 18^th over and Wayne Parnell six off the last, restricting Ireland to 190/9 and a 21-run victory.

There were many who believed Aiden Markram would be in charge of the Proteas by now, but even though the product of Cornwall Hill College in Centurion admitted on Tuesday that “I have not got it all worked out yet”, he is clearly becoming one of the key generals in the South African white-ball team.

That side will be in action again on Wednesday evening as they take on Ireland in the first of two T20 matches in Bristol. It will be interesting to see what XI the Proteas field because they have often experimented against the Irish in the past. Paceman Kagiso Rabada has been ruled out of both games with an ankle injury.

But they are fresh off a 2-1 series win over mighty England in which they fielded a few players who may have been thought of as fringe members of the squad that is being built for the T20 World Cup in October.

Markram, although he is their highest-ranked T20 batsman, was one of the ones to sit out, but it says something of his standing in the team that he was given a full explanation of the reasons why it was done. He returned for the deciding match against England and scored a brisk 51 not out off 36 balls as the Proteas batted their hosts out of the contest. Markram also fulfilled the vital sixth bowler role.

“Not playing in India was incredibly frustrating, but it’s one of those things even though it’s strange to get Covid these days,” Markram said.

“But here in England, the communication has been really good from the coach, the management team and captain David Miller. We were told where we stand, we understand where the selection is coming from and why they did it.

“These things happen when you’re building towards a World Cup, you have to give everyone a fair opportunity. Rassie van der Dussen and I understood why we were sitting out.

“The communication made it a lot easier. We’re on a journey to the World Cup so we understand why we try things and different options. If it doesn’t work, then rather get it wrong now than at the World Cup,” Markram said.

The 27-year-old has been one of the most dominant batsmen at SuperSport Park in Centurion, which is one of the smaller grounds in South Africa but still bigger than the ground in Bristol.

England had the Proteas in disarray in the first T20 in Bristol last week but, as they arrange their plans for the World Cup, being able to perform on smaller grounds is one of the things they need to sort out.

“We’re maybe a team that’s better on slower pitches and bigger fields, we’ve played some of our best cricket in tougher conditions,” Markram said.

“But we definitely want to get better at smaller venues where the margin for error is a lot smaller. We’re going to try and nail that because we want to keep growing as a team.”

*Play starts at 7.30pm

South Africa produced a compelling all-round display as they paced their batting perfectly and then fried England’s batsmen in the hot oil of unrelenting pressure from the bowlers and fielders, beating the hosts by a massive 90 runs to win their T20 series in Southampton on Sunday evening.

The Proteas had been sent in to bat and conditions were tough early on for the batsmen as Quinton de Kock was bowled for a duck by David Willey (4-1-25-3) in the first over and there was early movement with the new ball.

But Reeza Hendricks dug in and Rilee Rossouw then blazed 31 off 18 balls to provide some impetus in the powerplay, which South Africa finished on 53/1.

Hendricks, in red-hot form, accelerated to his third successive half-century and went on to score a fine 70 off 50 balls as he and Aiden Markram (51* off 36) built towards the death overs with a fantastically-judged partnership of 87 for the third wicket in 10 overs.

An impressive Markram, David Miller (22 off 9) and Tristan Stubbs, who hit his first two balls for four, then provided the big finish with 50 runs in the last four overs taking the Proteas to an above-par 191/5.

South Africa were outstanding in the field, their bowlers giving nothing away and being backed by superb fielding, led by a magnificent catch by Stubbs to remove Moeen Ali for just 3.

England missed their usual rollicking start as Jos Buttler (14) was outfoxed by the Proteas’ plans and excellent bowling by left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, and Jason Roy struggled to 17 off 18 balls before Anrich Nortje had him caught behind.

Tabraiz Shamsi then continued his spectacular comeback from the mauling he took in the first game, ripping through England with career-best figures of 5/24.

Fellow spinners Keshav Maharaj (2/21) and Markram, who dismissed Moeen courtesy of an extraordinary catch by Stubbs, running from a widish midwicket towards mid-on and diving full-length to take a one-handed catch as the ball went past him, also contributed. Their success showed that England erred in only giving off-spinner Moeen one over, getting too carried away with match-ups when conditions and a big field favoured the spinners.

South Africans who love both their cricket and their rugby will recognise the similarities between what national coaches Mark Boucher and Jacques Nienaber have been doing with selection lately, and the Proteas mentor will probably have nine of his 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup in two-and-a-half months time already settled.

It was a typically ballsy call by Boucher to keep the same XI that were slaughtered in the first T20 against England for the second match, but it paid off as they kept the series alive with a highly-impressive all-round showing in Cardiff.

By resting players such as Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Dwaine Pretorius and Anrich Nortje, Boucher has almost been fielding a second-string outfit, much as Springbok coach Nienaber did for the second Test against Wales.

But he will now know that explosive batsmen like Rilee Rossouw and Tristan Stubbs need to be part of his squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia, as does Lungi Ngidi (if there was any doubt). A player like Andile Phehlukwayo has been given a fair chance to also showcase his strengths, as well as his weaknesses.

Boucher will still, nevertheless, face some really tough selection decisions.

Reeza Hendricks, who seems to attract criticism as unfairly as Willie le Roux does, has justified his selection for the tour to England with wonderful back-to-back half-centuries, but will he be in the World Cup squad? The 32-year-old has really sped up his scoring rate in the two T20s against England, lifting his career stats to an average of 27.58 and a strike-rate of 124.71.

The other contenders for the opening batsman slot alongside Quinton de Kock are the injured Temba Bavuma (average 26.76, SR 120.60), Rassie van der Dussen (38.14 & 130.37) and Rossouw (35.58 & 144.25).

Will Boucher and the selectors be brave (or foolish) enough to leave out the appointed captain, especially given how important Bavuma is to the transformation agenda?

I have not mentioned Markram in this conundrum because he will be going as a middle-order batsman who is averaging 39.20 with a strike-rate of 147 and is third on the ICC rankings. He also provides the Proteas with a sixth bowler, which I still believe is crucial.

Van der Dussen is the next best South African in 10^th place and should surely be on the plane to Australia given how useful his ability to bat just about anywhere will be.

South Africans will fondly recall the exploits of their famous fast bowlers Down Under, but the nature of current T20 cricket will probably dictate that only three frontline pacemen will be chosen for the World Cup – Kagiso Rabada, Ngidi and Nortje.

Pretorius – remember he was South Africa’s joint leading wicket-taker with Nortje in last year’s T20 World Cup – and Phehlukwayo, who has taken 44 wickets in 37 matches, will probably edge out Wayne Parnell for the all-rounder berths.

Heinrich Klaasen, who has been in great form, will be counting on the Proteas taking two wicketkeepers to Australia.

It has also been good to see Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi affirm that they are still South Africa’s two best white-ball spinners.

Experimenting with players does not only confirm which ones are good enough for international level, it also shows the ones who are not yet ready for the step up, and this is more what Nienaber learnt from his selection gamble against Wales.

But you know your depth must be pretty good when players like Reeza Hendricks and Parnell, or Marcell Coetzee and Aphelele Fassi, are probably not going to make your World Cup squad.