Less than four months out from the T20 World Cup, head coach Shukri Conrad doesn’t want the national squad focusing on that tournament just yet, though he acknowledges some players will be eager to prove themselves when they open a three-match T20 International series against Pakistan in Rawalpindi on Tuesday (5pm start).
Missing a long list of experienced players, who were being rested ahead of a two-match Test series against India next month, Conrad expected some individuals to be looking to cement their spots in the Proteas team for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka to be played in February and March next year.
“We obviously want to invest all our energies into winning a T20 series here (in Pakistan), but there might be guys feeling that this presents them with an opportunity to find a spot on that flight to the T20 World Cup,” Conrad said.
“We’re trying to steer away from that, but there is obviously also that reality. It might be a dress rehearsal for some, it might be a trial for others. They might feel it but we try not to create that sort of situation.”
Players being rested
Of the players that represented the Proteas in the Test series against Pakistan, which ended in a 1-1 draw last week, only Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi and Corbin Bosch remained in the country for the T20 series this week.
They were set to be captained by Donovan Ferreira, with stand-in skipper David Miller having been ruled out ahead of the series with a hamstring injury after he had been appointed in the place of regular captain Aiden Markram, who was among those being rested.
“It’s a different group of players entirely. We’ve only really kept Brevis, Tony and Boschie behind, and the Test side have gone home to freshen up for the Indian challenge.
“So it’s a great opportunity and some fresh faces. It’s a long tour this, a tough tour, not only in the conditions but a really tough tour, and I don’t think people quite appreciate what the Test side has done.
“When you come here (to Pakistan) all you ever see is armoured vehicles to and from a ground, and you stay in a hotel all day… so we’re really chuffed and thrilled to have some fresh faces, some fresh energies. That’s not to suggest the energies were flagging in the previous group, but there’s huge excitement in the group about this T20 series.”
About the Author
