Proteas’ T20 World Cup ratings: Ngidi and Markram shine but Rabada is poor

It was an all-too-familiar story for the Proteas at the 2026 T20 World Cup.

They were excellent in the group and Super Eight stages, winning seven games in a row, most of them convincingly, as they hit batting and bowling form.

In Wednesday’s semifinal, coach Shukri Conrad’s South Africa bombed out dismally, suffering a nine-wicket thumping by a dominant New Zealand at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

TimesLIVE rates the performance of each player in the tournament:

Aiden Markram 8 (out of 10)

Brilliant tournament with the bat, scoring 286 runs which included three fifties. The opener spot suits him, allowing his rich array of strokes to shine with fielding restrictions in place. His innings against New Zealand and West Indies in the Super Eights are two of his best knocks in the format and given how well he played, he should look forward to a good few years at the top of the order in both ODIs and T20Is. He took one important wicket against India, but as always it feels like he can do more with the ball. He was hamstrung both as batter and captain in the semifinal, where New Zealand bowled superbly to him. His leadership remains good, but he’ll ask even more of himself in the future.

Quinton de Kock 5

Outstanding in the bilateral series leading into the tournament, De Kock was poor when it mattered and got found out against off-spin, with those type of bowlers dismissing him four times. In trying to attack Cole McConchie in the semifinal, he played a rash shot and was caught at mid-on. Overall, he couldn’t get going with the bat, and didn’t play an innings that turned a match decisively in SA’s favour. His keeping was sloppy too ― with a simple missed chance against the UAE and then a bad error of judgment in the semifinal, owing to over-zealousness.

Ryan Rickelton 6

He proved that he should have been in the squad from the start and not only called up as an injury replacement. Played some excellent innings against Afghanistan and West Indies and finished as the SA’s leading six hitter with 15, making good use of opportunities in the power play. Awful dismissal in the semifinal, but he wasn’t alone in that category on the night. Certainly has a role in the One-Day side and did his ODI World Cup chances next year no harm with this second outing in an ICC tournament.

Dewald Brevis 6

Came through his first ICC tournament well. Obviously deserves the criticism for a number of good starts ― six times he got to 20, but didn’t make a half-century. That will hurt and demand introspection because as he showed at the tail-end of the SA20, he is capable of producing innings of greater substance. Clearly he is the future for SA and his spot at No 4 in the T20 format should be locked in. But he needs to learn how to transition from a good start and use the momentum to get bigger scores.

David Miller 6

Has a great record in knockout matches, so was understandably furious with his soft dismissal at Eden Gardens on Wednesday. Miller played that senior role in the middle order perfectly, with his 63 against India one of his finest T20 innings. Not only did he demonstrate how to change the momentum in his team’s favour, but he marshalled Brevis cleverly in a crucial partnership. Getting out to Ravindra in the semifinal will haunt him. He has maintained that he will assess his future year by year. South Africa has options in the middle order, but Miller’s experience remains valuable to this team.

Tristan Stubbs 7

A very good tournament for Stubbs, who earned selection only after Donovan Ferreira’s injury. Adjusted superbly to his role as “finisher” at No 6, showing composure and patience in a role in which players can be overwhelmed by frenzy. Showed the kind of clarity that was missing from his batting last year and while he will be disappointed at being part of another knockout loss, this tournament should really be a foundation for him to go on and make himself undroppable, especially in the two limited overs formats.

Marco Jansen 6

An up and down tournament for Jansen, who was superb with the bat in the semifinal and took 11 wickets in the competition. But two four-wicket hauls were followed by him conceding 50 against the West Indies and then 53 in Kolkata. He did show off a more rounded bowling repertoire, adding a couple of slower balls to his arsenal, including a “knuckle ball” that he used to devastating effect in the Super Eights game against the Kiwis. But he still needs to find a zone in which his quality doesn’t drop as alarmingly as it tends to do ― when Jansen is bad, he is very bad.

Corbin Bosch 6

Excellent at the death of the innings for the most part, and provides some added oomph to an attack that is missing a wrist-spinner, so relies on an old-fashioned seamer to do a job. Took 11 wickets and given the times he bowls in the innings ― at least one over in the power play, usually the last and then at the end of the innings ― his economy rate of 7.64 is impressive. He was awful in the semifinal, not locating either the right line or length and was battered by Allen. Didn’t get enough of a chance with the bat but is still a good all-rounder option for any squad.

Keshav Maharaj 5

Two impactful games; the first involved that super over against Afghanistan where he did just enough to get SA across the line. The second was the India fixture in which he picked up three of the five wickets he claimed in the tournament. Of course, in that match the seam bowlers had already done the damage. As good as Maharaj is in the Test format, questions must be asked about his continued value as a white ball bowler, especially as he is not an effective option with the bat in T20s. It is time for the selectors to move on from him in the shortest format.

Kagiso Rabada 3

In his defence, he wasn’t helped by teammates dropping catches off his bowling ― De Kock’s misjudgement in the semifinal was in Rabada’s first over. But Rabada’s white ball record is not good and in ICC tournaments it’s mediocre. His most impactful performance in an ICC tournament was when he struck a match-winning cover drive against Roston Chase in 2024. Otherwise, with the ball, he simply hasn’t done enough. He took five wickets at an average of 43.40 while his economy rate was 8.13 in this year’s tournament. His reputation as a great Test bowler shouldn’t make him an automatic choice for a limited overs World Cup squad. Rabada has plenty to prove if he wants to even be in the conversation with Jasprit Bumrah or Mitchell Starc as outstanding bowlers across all formats.

Lungi Ngidi 8

Enhanced his reputation as a white ball bowler in the past four weeks, taking 12 wickets with an economy rate of 7.19 and an average of 15.83. Ngidi’s growing maturity is deserving of praise. He now looms as a genuine threat for the opposition, as pointed out by India, who knew what to expect and then still couldn’t do anything against him in that Super Eight match. His over of “dipping” slower balls which made West Indies’ Romario Shepherd ― well set in the 40s at the time ― look like a clown was one of the highlights of SA’s tournament. He must be one of the first names on the teamsheet in the future.

George Linde 5

His most important match was against Afghanistan, where he fought back well after getting slapped around in the first couple of overs he bowled. Took an important wicket in that match to slow the Afghanistan run rate. Did a reasonable job with the ball in two matches he played in Delhi, and then batted well, scoring 30 not out against Zimbabwe. Linde certainly has the ingredients to be a difference-maker for SA in the shortest format and aged 34, should be part of the 2028 squad if he maintains form and fitness.

Anrich Nortje 4

Got two chances, both in Delhi, but didn’t do enough to convince the selectors that he should be restored to the “main” team for the more important matches. Finished the tournament with three wickets, against UAE and Zimbabwe. Whether he gets another chance either in the ODI side or the T20 one, is dependent on him making more of an impact in the T20 leagues and domestically. But with Kwena Maphaka and Ottneil Baartman as options, he faces competition for his place.

Kwena Maphaka 5

Given the debates that raged about his spot in the squad before the tournament, the 19-year-old came out of it quite well. Didn’t have a good outing against UAE, where his lines and lengths were erratic, but showed against Zimbabwe ― a better team than UAE ― that he’d absorbed the lessons. Claimed two wickets and demonstrated the talent that made him a candidate for stardom at junior level. Needs to make a step up in the next 12 months, and probably needs more first-class cricket to develop his game ― whether he will get that, remains to be seen.

Jason Smith 3

Another controversial selection and was never in contention once Stubbs had re-established himself. Smith faced just five balls, but did hit the winning run against UAE.