Cape Argus E-dition

Mpitsang’s focus on success in T20 World Cup

ZAAHIER ADAMS zaahier.adams@inl.co.za

CONVENER of selectors Victor Mpitsang says he will leave no stone unturned in ensuring the Proteas men’s team will have the best opportunity to win the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.

It is unfortunate that an injury to captain Temba Bavuma, who on Wednesday was ruled out of the entire tour to the United Kingdom with an elbow injury, has left the door open for prodigal son Rilee Rossouw’s return to the national team after a six-year absence.

But it still required Mpitsang to extend the invitation to the 32-yearold for the three-match T20 series against England and the subsequent two matches against Ireland.

Mpitsang has already proved that he possesses no malice towards returning Kolpak players, with

Duanne Olivier and Simon Harmer reintegrated into the Test team while Wayne Parnell has also played a few one-day internationals and T20s already.

However, Rossouw’s proposed return was always going to prove to be the most complex with the talented left-hander having left South African shores in acrimonious circumstances in 2016.

Former Proteas coach Russell Domingo made his position very clear at the time, stating that he was “bitterly disappointed” in Rossouw and that “we backed him when he made five noughts.

If that had been a player of colour, everyone would have said transformation. I am very disappointed.”

It seems time is the greatest of healers with Rossouw expected to play a major role now in the build-up to the T20 World Cup.

The Proteas struggled to create impetus at the top of the order during the recent 2-2 series draw in India, and Mpitsang and coach Mark Boucher will be hoping Rossouw can attack the powerplay like he has currently been doing in the Vitality T20 Blast in England.

Rossouw has smashed 498 runs at an average of 55.30 and at the incredible strike-rate of 191.50 so far this season for Somerset.

“The T20 format is a high priority for us at the moment,” Mpitsang said. “We are looking to give opportunities to players that we are interested in seeing and working out the best combinations, while also trying to balance our desire to maintain enough consistency within the set up that the players are used to playing together as a team by the time they reach Australia for the World Cup.”

Bavuma’s injury-enforced absence creates arguably bigger dilemmas from a leadership point of view.

SA’s most capped T20 player David Miller will take over the leadership reins, while left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who deputised for Bavuma in the last T20 in India, will lead the ODI team in the UK.

Crucially, there is a place for Aiden Markram to stage a Test comeback after the talented righthander was handed a lifeline. He will battle it out for a spot in the middle order with Khaya Zondo, who made his debut in the last Test against Bangladesh as a concussion substitute in April.

The only uncapped player across all three squads is young Free State fast bowler Gerald Coetzee, while allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo is also back in the T20 squad.

Kagiso Rabada will be rested from the ODI leg of the tour.

SPORT

en-za

2022-07-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-07-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

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