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Know your team: All the Proteas players in the Cricket World Cup squad
All you need to know about the players in the national side.
Temba Bavuma will lead the SA team at the Cricket World Cup. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
A 15-member squad will represent South Africa at the Cricket World Cup which gets underway this week.
Here’s all you need to know about the Proteas players who will target the nation’s first cricket world title.
Batters
Temba Bavuma
Age: 33
ODI caps: 30
Runs: 1367
Average: 54.68
A level-headed leader who has the ability to keep his team together under pressure, Bavuma is very useful with the bat when he’s in form. Though he has previously been criticised for inconsistency, the skipper will be looking to spearhead the Proteas from the front.
Quinton de Kock
Age: 30
ODI caps: 145
Runs: 6176
Average: 44.75
Set to retire from ODI cricket after the showpiece, De Kock will be eager to shine in his swansong tournament. One of only seven SA players to have made more than 6000 ODI runs, he should play a key role both with the bat and with the gloves behind the stumps.
Reeza Hendricks
Age: 34
ODI caps: 29
Runs: 761
Average: 28.18
Though his place is more established in the national T20 squad, Hendricks will be eager to lay some solid foundations throughout the tournament. A destructive opener, he has the ability to get the Proteas off to a good start at the top of the order.
Heinrich Klaasen
Age: 32
ODI caps: 41
Runs: 1323
Average: 41.34
One of the best batters in the world this year, Klaasen has been superb in both limited overs formats, racking up some memorable innings at domestic and international level. As a form player, the batting line-up will rely on him to play an anchor role.
Aiden Markram
Age: 28
ODI caps: 55
Runs: 1665
Average: 35.42
A key member of the team’s leadership, Markram will back Bavuma up, as he has done in two warm-up matches after the skipper had to return home. Markram has the experience to carry the middle order and adds additional value with his part-time spin bowling.
David Miller
Age: 34
ODI caps: 160
Runs: 4090
Average: 42.60
His stats don’t reflect Miller’s true value, and there might not be anybody you’d rather want at the crease when the chips are down and quick runs are needed. Possessing the ability to turn a game on its head, Miller is brutal with the bat and can rapidly lift the run rate.
Rassie van der Dussen
Age: 34
ODI caps: 49
Runs: 1874
Average: 56.78
Hoping to earn his 50th ODI cap at the World Cup, Van der Dussen has an impressive record in the 50-over format. Another player who is not afraid to open the throttle, he adds more firepower to the team’s arsenal, fitting in well with the more aggressive style of cricket they have played this year.
Bowlers
Kagiso Rabada
Age: 28
ODI caps: 92
Wickets: 144
Average: 27.75
The squad’s most experienced bowler, Rabada plays an important senior role, and he will again spearhead the Proteas attack. Well established as one of the best bowlers in the global game, he will hope to put the opposition batters under pressure with the new ball in hand.
Lungi Ngidi
Age: 27
ODI caps: 48
Wickets: 78
Average: 27.60
Supporting Rabada in the frontline attack, Ngidi adds important depth and variety, in order to keep the Proteas’ opponents on their toes. A strike bowler who can change a game, he provides the squad with options, both with the new ball and at the death.
Gerald Coetzee
Age: 22
ODI caps: 6
Wickets: 11
Average: 29.45
He is the youngest member of the squad, but Coetzee will carry significant weight in terms of expectations following the withdrawal of injured speedster Anrich Nortje. The Proteas will rely on him to add some real pace to their bowling attack.
Keshav Maharaj
Age: 33
ODI caps: 31
Wickets: 37
Average: 32.67
Returning earlier this month after a six-month break from the international game, Majaraj has been praised by team management and teammates after recovering from a serious Achilles injury in time for the showpiece. He is one of two specialist spinners in the squad.
Tabraiz Shamsi
Age: 33
Caps: 46
Wickets: 63
Average: 32.53
The most experienced limited overs spinner in the squad, Shamsi has the pedigree and the background to smother the opposing team’s batters, even under extreme pressure. He could be a valuable player in crunch moments during the tournament.
Lizaad Williams
Age: 29
ODI caps: 1
Wickets: 1
Average: 62.00
One of the least experienced international players in the squad, Williams was called up as a replacement for injured paceman Nortje. He has played only one ODI, but he has also earned 11 caps in other formats, and he has proved himself throughout a successful domestic career.
All-rounders
Marco Jansen
Age: 23
ODI caps: 15
Runs: 265 (29.44)
Wickets: 18 (38.22)
The first-choice genuine all-rounder in the squad, following the withdrawal of Sisanda Magala, Jansen hasn’t got much in terms of experience at international level. But he will be confident of making a contribution, both down the order and as the attack’s extra seamer.
Andile Phehlukwayo
Age: 27
ODI caps: 76
Runs: 781 (24.40)
Wickets: 89 (31.88)
Called up to replace Magala last week, Phehlukwayo has a wealth of experience, and he will hope to play whatever role is required of him as the squad’s back-up all-rounder. Like Jansen, he provides another option to the bowling line-up and can help carry the lower order.
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