South Africa are the second team to announce their 15-man squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The Proteas have opted for a change in the captaincy as they appoint Aiden Markram as their captain for the T20 World Cup as former captain Temba Bavuma misses out of the squad. Markram will lead South Africa for the first time in an ICC event.
Anrich Nortje and Quinton de Kock, who were just left off of Cricket South Africa’s core contract list, are two prominent additions. Due to a back ailment, Nortje has not been able to play for his country since September 2023. Meanwhile, De Kock, who had previously said goodbye to Test cricket in 2022, declared his retirement from ODIs following the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
The two uncapped T20I players on the team are Ryan Rickelton and Ottniel Baartman, who have benefited from their outstanding performance in the most recent SA20 tournament. With 530 runs at an average of 58.88 and a strike rate of 173.77 for MI Cape Town, Rickelton was the tournament’s top run scorer, while Baartman claimed 18 wickets in eight games for the reigning champion Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
The Proteas have a solid batting core that includes David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Reeza Hendricks, Markram, De Kock, and the young and talented Tristan Stubbs to go along with their youth.
With the help of Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada and Nortje will lead the pace battery, while Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, and Tabraiz Shamsi will be the front-line spinners.
South Africa squad: Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.
Travelling reserves: Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi.