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Johannesburg – What? The national selectors actually chose a Proteas World Cup squad with which everyone agrees?
Huh? Has this ever occurred? Tuesday’s selection of 15 players and three reserves by Victor Mpitsang, convener of selectors, has garnered nearly unanimous acceptance.
Not even Wayne Parnell generated any squawking. Are South Africans adults? Are the selectors doing a good job? Or is everybody simply bored and anticipating the SA20?
Mpitsang and his staff have assembled an outstanding squad that is well-balanced, has options, depth, experience, diversity, and explosiveness.
Tristan Stubbs represents youth, Parnell and David Miller represent experience, and Temba Bavuma, David Miller, Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, and Keshav Maharaj provide sound leadership.
This team has the potential to win the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Before the entire “we’ve been here before” brigade speaks up, it’s important to note that this squad took several months to assemble.
It has been through the trial-and-error phase – remember the home-and-away series against Pakistan last year – and it knows the agony of failure, having failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates last year.
Importantly, the selectors also learned from that, and Mpitsang provided valuable insight into the necessity to choose players for certain roles this time – unlike the previous season, when some players were pushed to adapt to positions for which they were not naturally suited.
South Africa can enter the World Cup with a positive outlook on their chances.
This side flourished without Bavuma and without De Kock making many runs against England. In reality, a player who replaced Bavuma in the England series, Reeza Hendricks, has presented the largest dilemma for the selectors, which they will have to deal with during the tournament.
But before then, Bavuma will get the chance to acquire form and confidence back against India later this month.
Mpitsang did not wish to answer the question of whether he would consider withdrawing Bavuma at the World Cup. However, if Hendricks and Rilee Rossouw continue the form they displayed in England, he and the selection panel will be forced to consider the possibility.
This team will not have to wait a long time to satisfy South Africa’s World Cup hunger, unlike in prior editions.
Since the ICC is now fully operational as an events company, there will be limited-overs competitions every year until 2031.
Therefore, there are plenty possibilities to overcome the “hump,” and there is no need to place undue strain on themselves by waiting too long for another chance.
Nevertheless, 2022 and the group announced on Tuesday are among the best World Cup squads announced in a number of years.
There is a strong argument that it is on par with the 1999 ODI World Cup squad that fell agonizingly short in Birmingham.
There is a valid reason for SA fans to be optimistic and to express that excitement openly.
@shockerhess