South Africa have been thumped twice and have had one convincing victory in the three T20 matches they’ve played against India so far. South Africa were excellent in their 51-run victory over India last Thursday night in the second T20I of five against the hosts. But it was only their 10th victory in the format since the T20 World Cup final that took place in June last year against the same opposition.
It’s been a period of extreme inconsistency for the Proteas in the shortest format, perfectly exemplified by the three matches they’ve played against India so far. Their thumping win in the second T20I came after a humiliating 101-run defeat only two days prior, and a thrashing in the form of a seven-wicket defeat three days later. This is a concern with the next T20 World Cup two months away, in February in India and Sri Lanka.
It’s been a period of chopping and changing for the Proteas T20 side since their seven-run defeat by India at the T20 World Cup final in Bridgetown in June last year. Rob Walter was the coach that led the side then, before he suddenly announced that he would be stepping down from the post earlier this year. Test coach Shukri Conrad took the mantle in May this year, and has yet to settle on a preferred lineup.
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“With regards to the World Cup, we’re a couple of months out,” Conrad said. “It might look as if we’re slightly unsure given the amount of changes we make every match. But it’s certainly not changes for the sake of changes.
“We have a pretty good idea of what our World Cup squad will be like. It’s really just managing players. There are a few guys who have been here since the Test Series (against India), and then we’ve also got the SA20 after this.
So its really just about managing players. “And also giving everybody a good run. See what works here, what doesn’t work.
We’re pretty clear in terms of what we want.” More than 30 different players have donned the Proteas T20 kit this year alone. It’s given the selectors an opportunity to observe a large pool of players before the T20 World Cup next year, but with only a few combinations that are tried and tested.
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