South Africa unusually unencumbered by expectation
Everything Shukri Conrad touches turns to freshness. Could he push South Africa a step further from their runners-up finish in 2024?
Snapshot
Rarely have South Africa gone to any World Cup so unencumbered by expectation. Even reaching the final of this tournament in Barbados not quite two years ago hasn't raised hopes that Aiden Markram's team could go that one step further and grab the glory this time. It's not as if the cricketminded section of the nation doesn't care. They just don't care as much as they did before South Africa beat Australia in the WTC final at Lord's in June last year. Yes, the format is different. But, finally, for the first time since 1998, an ICC trophy gleams in the cabinet. That's what South Africans care about.
The squad, and what it tells us
Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Rubin Hermann, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs.
Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs weren't in the original squad, which CSA in their lack of wisdom chose to release on January 2 despite the ICC's deadline of midnight, Dubai time, on January 30. That was reasonable in Stubbs' case, considering his lack of recent form. But Rickelton scored one SA20 century eight days before the squad was announced and another eight days after it was named. It took injuries to Donavan Ferreira and Tony de Zorzi to get Rickelton and Stubbs to the World Cup, and there is still unhappiness that Ottneil Baartman wasn't picked.
The road to the World Cup
South Africa have won only a dozen of their 32 T20Is since the last World Cup in the format. That's not much more than a third. That slips to exactly a third in Asia, where they have won three of nine, and a measly 25% in India, with one win in four games. What have they done for themselves lately? See below.
Last five T20Is: L-L-W-W-L
The way they play
Everything Shukri Conrad touches turns to freshness. If he has a secret it's that he communicates simple ideas well, and then gives his players space to get on with implementing them. That hasn't borne fruit in T20I terms yet, but this is Conrad's first World Cup since taking on the white-ball portfolios in May last year. And his timing is better than Quinton de Kock's.
Look out for the deployment of someone like Jason Smith not to score a pile of runs, but to make a nugget of them at an outrageous strike rate to make the game take a great leap forward. Invariably South Africa are blessed with a slew of quality allrounders, but Marco Jansen, George Linde and Corbin Bosch shine out even in that company. Bowlers don't come cleverer than Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi, and then there's that beam of batting light...
Who can bend a match in 10 balls
...yes, him: Dewald Brevis. He's not quite lived up to the hype. Yet. But his 53, 75 not out and 101 at the sharp end of the SA20 suggest he's getting there quickly. You don't score a century in a major final - even if your team loses, and against an attack that includes Jansen and Anrich Nortje - without knowing what you're doing.
Scheduling
It's a cutthroat group, what with South Africa, Afghanistan and New Zealand all capable of claiming one of the two available Super Eight places. The South Africans will have the advantage of acquainting themselves with conditions in Ahmedabad before they have to take on both their rivals for a spot in the next round.
Banana peel fixture: The Afghans have long since graduated from minnowhood and are legitimate contenders to go all the way. Running into them after what should be an easy win against Canada is an alarm waiting to be raised.
What a good World Cup looks like
Nobody would blink should South Africa reach the semifinals. Even reaching another decider wouldn't be heralded as an achievement. That's the thing about finals - once you've made it that far, the only way upward is to win. What would winning mean? Steady. Not a single South African has dared to think about that. Except, perhaps, for Conrad.
