A number of plyers are in good form following the SA20 competition.
National captain Aiden Markram hopes his players will continue the good form they showed in the recent SA20 competition when the Proteas take on the West Indies in three T20s over the coming days, a tune-up tournament for the T20 World Cup getting underway in India next week.
A number of Proteas squad members enjoyed a solid SA20, with batters Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis and Markram himself among the top 10 run-getters, while Tristan Stubbs, Rubin Hermann and David Miller featured in the top 20.
Among the bowlers, Anrich Nortje, Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj featured in the SA20 top 10 wicket-takers, with Kagiso Rabada, George Linde and Lungi Ngidi in the top 20.
‘Back into the groove’
“It’s nice to get back into the groove before getting on a plane [to the World Cup],” said Markram on Monday about the upcoming series against the West Indies.
“While I was locked in with DSG (Durban’s Super Giants) I kept looking out for the (Proteas) boys and it was awesome to see them do so well. It looks like everyone is in a good space and everyone’s feeling good energy.
“The signs are good … and we’d much rather be in this space as a team than seeing the guys struggling.
“It’s going to be a good test against the West Indies, with many of their guys in good form as well. [Having played in the SA20] they know the conditions and will communicate that through their group.
“If we can keep the guys who’re in red hot form down from a bowling point of view we’ll take confidence out of that, and the same with the bat; if we can get on top of their bowlers we’ll take confidence there, too.
“Then hopefully we can take that confidence to India.”
Players rested for Windies series
The Proteas have opted to rest De Kock, Stubbs and Jansen for the first T20 in Paarl on Tuesday, following their involvement in the SA20 final on Sunday. Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Eathan Bosch have been called up to play in the first T20.
“We’ll also see where each guy is at … some played last night [Sunday]. You don’t want to be risking anyone now. If someone needs a rest, they’ll rest,” said Markram.
Asked about the Proteas’ objectives for the three-match series, the opening batter said: “You want to win. We’ve been through lots of series’ and lost, and that’s always frustrating.
“We also know what’s to come so we want to get guys into the roles we foresee them playing at the World Cup.”
Tuesday’s first T20 between the Proteas and West Indies in Paarl starts at 6pm. The two other matches against the West Indies are in Centurion (Thursday) and Joburg (Saturday).
