Proteas T20 World Cup Players To Watch

Bet Central looks ahead to whom will play a vital role for the Proteas in the T20 World Cup. Ongama Gcwabe picks Five Players to Watch in the Proteas World Cup squad.

Proteas T20 World Cup Squad Review

Kagiso Rabada

KG is yet to put in a big performance in a senior men’s World Cup for his country. Going into his third World Cup (second T20 WC), he has a point to prove and a duty to fulfil for his country and teammates.

Looking at his form in the second half of the IPL that’s being played in the UAE, the fast bowler is in glittering form. More than the wickets he takes, what has been good to watch has been his pace more recently. Bowling at speeds excessive of 90mph, Rabada is showing promising signs for the World Cup.

The 26-year-old has accumulated 41 wickets at an impressive average of 26 in T20I cricket in just 35 matches.

Quinton de Kock

De Kock has been the most reliable batter in the Proteas setup for years now. Going into this World Cup, I don’t see how he will do things any differently.

In the Proteas’ last T20I series ahead of the World Cup, which was against Sri Lanka, De Kock finished as the top run-scorer and player of the series after being rested for the ODI series that preceded the T20I series.

57 matches deep into his T20I career, the left-handed big hitter is now a senior player in the Proteas squad and is expected to lead from the front. His T20I career strike rate of over 136 is a testament to his temperament at the top of the order.

Anrich Nortje

Nortje missed out on the 2019 World Cup because of an injury that saw him out for a while. Now with a chance to spot the green & gold in a World Cup in the UAE, the speedster from Uitenhage will want to make a name for himself on the biggest stage in world cricket.

His experience in the second half of the IPL means that he is well aware of the working strategies in the UAE. In the seven matches he has played, Nortje has bowled 158 balls and conceded 156 runs which is an exceptional effort in T20
cricket.

A bowling unit featuring Nortje, Ngidi and Rabada will always give batters nightmares purely because of the speeds this trio is capable of bowling at.

Tabraiz Shamsi

Shamsi is the best spinner in the world at the moment, in T20 cricket. Having spent a huge chunk of his international career on the sidelines when Imran Tahir got the nod from the coaches ahead of him, Shamsi will be raring to go seeing that the powers at CSA have placed all the trust in him when they did not select Tahir for the World Cup.

The magician, the king of celebrations, will undoubtedly be an important leader of the spin attack, and his performances will decide whether we win or lose in this World Cup.

Shamsi leads 2021’s T20I top wicket-takers with 28 wickets in just 17 matches including career-best figures of 4-25 against Pakistan in February of this year. Purely because of the form he has shown in the past 12 months (if not more),
Shamsi will be the danger-man for the Proteas in this World Cup.

Aiden Markram

Markram is the only South African captain to win a World Cup, at the under-19 level in 2014. The world named him a Test batter because of his classy look but the 27-year-old has done a great job in transitioning into an all-formats player.

His performances in the recently concluded Proteas tour to Sri Lanka, his IPL performances for Punjab Kings, have shown everyone around the world that Markram has come of age. A career strike rate of 147 in international cricket is a noticeable achievement.

This World Cup will be a great opportunity for Markram to step up and put on a show for his country.