1992, 1999, 2007, 2015. Do you know what is common in all these World Cups? South Africa was knocked out of the semi-finals in each of these events. The Proteas have always been a strong force in the international cricket. Their loss in each of the above-mentioned events has been really heart-breaking. All the matches except the 2007 loss were thrilling and the Proteas lost narrowly.
Come to 2023, South Africa has for quite some time been struggling to find a long-term captain since the ouster of Faf du Plessis. Quinton de Kock was looked upon as a long-term solution, but he gave up the armband as it was really difficult to be the captain, wicketkeeper, and the main batsman of the team. In the meantime, he also retired from the test cricket. Temba Bavuma was made the captain, but he was always under threat to keep his place in the XI. The fortunes turned after the 2022 T20 World Cup; Bavuma was removed as T20 captain but was retained as the ODI captain. The confidence that the management has shown in him gave fruitful results. Bavuma has so far been in excellent form in limited-overs cricket. He has become the backbone of the South African ODI team.
Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock form one of the most successful opening pairs at present. de Kock is an aggressive player and looks to take on the opposition bowlers and he certainly is one of the most feared batsmen in the current era. Bavuma at the other end complements him with his accumulation, and once he is set he can take the bowlers on. Reeza Hendricks is the backup batter and can play in the middle order as well.
The middle-order responsibility will be shouldered by the consistent Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram. van der Dussen has been very consistent since his arrival on the international stage and will play an important role if South Africa has to make it to the top 4. Markram was touted to be the next-best batsman in South Africa, but his inconsistency has always been a talking point. But, in the last year, he has been quite consistent and that too at a scoring rate that will boost South Africa's chances to make it far into the tournament.
David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen are two of the most dangerous finishers going around in the world of cricket currently. Klassen can also bat and build the innings and when he breaks free, he can take the match away in a matter of few overs. Miller too has been in great touch and will give you the cushion of 15-20 extra runs in the death overs. Marco Jansen is also an abled batsman and can give vital runs at the end of the innings. Then there is Kagiso Rabada who can swing his bat too and so can Keshav Maharaj.
The pace bowling looks to be well-stocked despite the absence of Anrich Nortje. The likes of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi bowl fast and make the batsmen struggle with the movement. Marco Jansen is another one who will cause problems for the batsmen with the bounce he generates due to his height. Gerald Coetzee and Lizaad Williams will be the backup pacers should any of them not play due to any unforeseen events. Andile Phehlukwayo is a good all-round option, but Jansen pips him for the all-rounder spot in the first-choice playing XI.
The pitches in India demand the teams play 2 spinners and the Proteas have 2 very good spinners who offer different angles - Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi. In all likelihood, Maharaj and Shamsi will play the majority of the matches together and they will also have the part-time spin of Aiden Markram should the conditions favor spinners.
15-man squad
Batsmen
Temba Bavuma(Captain)
Reeza Hendricks
David Miller
Aiden Markram
Rassie van der Dussen
Wicket-Keepers
Quinton de Kock
Heinrich Klaasen
All-Rounders
Marco Jansen
Andile Phehlukwayo
Bowlers
Kagiso Rabada
Lungi Ngidi
Gerald Coetzee
Lizaad Williams
Keshav Maharaj
Tabraiz Shamsi
Probable Playing XI:
Temba Bavuma(C)
Quinton de Kock(WK)
Rassie van der Dussen
Aiden Markram
David Miller
Heinrich Klaasen
Marco Jansen
Kagiso Rabada
Keshav Maharaj
Lungi Ngidi
Tabraiz Shamsi
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