South Africa's Questions ahead of the T20 World Cup

A 2-2 series draw may leave South Africa disappointed. They were leading the series 2-0 and looked set for a sweep before a fightback from India. There were some holes in the side, and that is what leaves South Africa in trouble as they build their line-up for the World Cup. Through this series, the South African teams have some questions to answer.

Temba Bavuma the Batter

Temba Bavuma has shown himself as a capable captain and communicator. He is an established player in Test Cricket, but his T20I numbers are puzzling. His strike rate isn’t the greatest and he isn’t averaging too high as well. In this series, Bavuma struggled against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but his strike rate, in general, is pretty low for a top-order batter. If South Africa is to get good starts in the future his striking up front will have to develop.

South Africa’s Middle-Order Puzzle

South Africa is spoilt for choices in the middle order. They have Rassie Van Der Dussen, David Miller, and even Aiden Markram as options for those slots as of now. Dwaine Pretorius is making a claim to find another middle-order player. Henrich Klaasen joined David Miller and Rassie Van Der Dussen as he played a match-winning knock. With a lot of options, South Africa will have to find the right combination. There could also be another headache if Faf Du Plessis decides to put his hand up as well.

See Also: England vs New Zealand Day 2: England trail by 65 runs – Cricket Winner

All-rounder Balance in the side

South Africa has three bowling all-rounders in Dwaine Pretorious, Wayne Parnell, and Marco Jansen. Going by their combination, South Africa has to choose to play either one-allrounder or risk going a batter short. Considering the World Cup is in Australia, and South Africa has Aiden Markram as an extra spin option, they may be able to choose one of the all-rounders and stick with one spin option in the line-up.

Pace Attack

Kagiso Rabada is a walk-in in the eleven. Along with him though, the other bowlers are yet to be decided. Dwaine Pretorius is likely to keep his place as well, leaving space for at least one more pacer. This could be a toss-up between Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi. While Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi are players who should walk into the eleven, the composition may make it a little challenging. Given Ngidi’s injury lay-off and Anrich Nortje’s wayward return after coming back from his own injury, South Africa will have to see how both manage their form and workload.