Cricket

More questions than answers as Proteas head to T20 World Cup



The Proteas will go into the T20 World Cup in Australia having misplaced the T20 and ODI collection to India, in India.

The odd factor is the Proteas have spent the final week taking part in ODI cricket, simply days earlier than a T20 match.

Why their ODI collection in India was scheduled after the T20 collection is a bit of mind-boggling. So, too, is the very fact a number of the Proteas’ T20 specialists have been sitting idle for the final week whereas the ODI collection has been happening.

Here I refer to Rilee Rossouw and Tristan Stubbs.

It can be odd that the Proteas performed an ODI collection in any respect proper now. But that’s due to the postponed collection that didn’t occur throughout Covid.

ALSO READ: Boucher after ODI collection defeat to India: ‘We need to get up for T20 World Cup’

I ponder although if Cricket South Africa couldn’t have requested the BCCI to moderately play an additional three or 4 T20s and scrap or postpone the ODI collection. I do know there are different causes for needing to play ODI cricket, such as factors to be performed for forward of the 50-overs World Cup, however certainly widespread sense ought to prevail on this occasion?

After all, the Proteas will arrive in Australia with an ODI collection behind them whereas all of New Zealand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, England, Australia and West Indies have all been in motion in T20 matches in Australasia. India, too, have their greatest gamers already in Australia.

ALSO READ: India thump Proteas to take ODI collection 2-1

Unfortunately, two of South Africa’s key T20 gamers, captain Temba Bavuma and Tabraiz Shamsi, have additionally picked up a “mild infection” ruling them out of the final two ODIs, robbing them of much-needed game-time and a chance to get into kind. Also, Keshav Maharaj missed Tuesday’s last ODI as a result of he was unwell.

The one constructive for the Proteas is that they are going to have two warm-up video games earlier than beginning their T20 World Cup on 24 October — in opposition to New Zealand (17 October) and Bangladesh (19 October) — the place hopefully the gamers get again into T20 mode instantly.

Proteas groups of the previous have all the time been effectively ready and among the many favourites at World Cups, and never achieved a lot, so possibly on this event, with a number of gamers out of contact and others nursing infections, and with few giving them an opportunity to do something, they’ll shock us all.


Source link

Related Articles

Back to top button