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OPINION: Will the Proteas’ bowlers be ready for the T20 World Cup?
The national squad's biggest concerns are among the fast bowlers.
Fast bowler Anrich Nortje has not played a match in four weeks after struggling to find his best form in the Indian Premier League. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
While their top six are expected to be among the best batting units at the tournament, there are question marks hanging over the Proteas bowling attack ahead of the T20 World Cup.
In the build-up to the national squad’s first game against Sri Lanka in New York on 3 June, some bowlers are rusty, others are struggling to find form and one is recovering from injury.
The Proteas have depth in the bowling department, with seven specialists backed by all-rounder Marco Jansen and part-timer Aiden Markram, but there are real concerns.
Fast bowlers
Kagiso Rabada is expected to recover in time for the tournament, but it’s not a good sign that he was sent home from the Indian Premier League (IPL) last week after picking up a lower limb soft tissue infection.
Meanwhile, Anrich Nortje has failed to find his best form after recovering from a back injury, and he has not played in four weeks after missing out on the Delhi Capitals’ last five IPL games.
Fortunately Nortje will get some game time in the three-match T20 series against West Indies this week, but there is no such luck for Jansen, who has played only three IPL matches in the last two months and will miss out on the West Indies series because Sunrisers Hyderabad are in the IPL playoffs.
And the squad’s other two pace bowlers, Gerald Coetzee and Ottniel Baartman, have got game time under their belts, but neither has displayed great form on the T20 circuit in the last few months.
Spin bowlers
Among the spinners, Keshav Maharaj is also rusty (having last played for Rajasthan Royals four weeks ago) and won’t compete against West Indies, while Tabraiz Shamsi struggled to hit his straps in the recently concluded CSA T20 Challenge.
Bjorn Fortuin, however, is in good form, having taken 18 wickets in 16 matches for the Lions in the domestic T20 Challenge at an economy rate of 5.85.
So all-in-all it’s not looking very good, but the Proteas attack will be able to lean on their experience and rely on their depth, which will give them hope at the World Cup. It looks like they’re going to need it.
