Trend-setting Proteas bode well for World Cup hopes

South African players — most notably Heinrich Klaasen and Tristan Stubbs — have been fundamental in growing the trend of aggressive batting seen at the Indian Premier League (IPL), which bodes well for the Proteas’ chances at this year’s T20 World Cup.

The timing and length of cricket’s most lucrative tournament this year, in an already packed calendar, has meant Rob Walter had to be creative with his preparation plans and show levels of trust in his players that in days past would have been unwelcome.

But rather than concern himself with how many balls his bowlers are delivering or how his batters are faring in the nets, Walter can take solace from knowing players he selected have been at the forefront in what appears to be an evolution in batting at the IPL. 

Totals in excess of 200 are now common in the T20 format, with Klaasen and Stubbs playing crucial roles in how their respective teams — the Sunrisers Hyderbabad and Delhi Capitals — were able to strategise throughout the IPL. 

“They are a cricketing ‘bomb squad’ for the Proteas,” said Dave Nosworthy, a former provincial coach, who has been director of cricket at Somerset in England and Canterbury in New Zealand. 

David Miller is, of course, part of the middle order mix, and despite a less impactful IPL than previously, his fine record in International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments means there isn’t too much concern about his form. 

Klaasen, with his strike rate of 186.26 in the IPL, and Stubbs, with 190.90, have combined that prodigious hitting ability with high scoring — each making over 300 runs — and have had to play roles in which they held the innings together before they’ve exploded in the latter stages. 

“I don’t think any other team in the world has got that. I wouldn’t change it, other than the positions they play in, maybe have Stubbs at four, or if you want to keep the left-right combination going, move Miller up, but I wouldn’t have them batting lower than six,” said Nosworthy. 

Rather than bemoan the dreadful scheduling that could see their captain playing in a high stakes final in Chennai one week before jetting off to New York, the Proteas could end up being grateful for the competitive cricket Aiden Markram is playing shortly before the World Cup.

“Playing any cricket is going to assist a player, especially if it’s competitive. For any professional player, playing cricket is your job, so any time doing that is valuable,” said Nosworthy.

It is likely that just the four players — Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Markram, Klaasen and Marco Jansen, and Keshav Maharaj of the Rajasthan Royals — will have to travel directly from India to the US.

Although Jansen has played only three matches and Maharaj just two, Walter isn’t concerned their confidence may be hampered.  “Kesh has never got an issue with his confidence because he bowls a thousand balls a day,” Walter chirped. 

While outwardly relaxed, last year’s ODI World Cup revealed Jansen to be an overthinker for whom bouts of self-doubt are never far from the surface. Having started the first two matches for Hyderabad, he’s since been deemed surplus to their requirements.

“In the environment at Sunrisers, he will still be working, doing training, being kept on his toes because he needs to be ready, so I don’t think it’s been to his detriment to stay at the IPL,” said Nosworthy.

What will be crucial, he added, is quickly transitioning from what has been a lengthy IPL, and getting accustomed to the demands of the national team at a high profile event where the quality of matches will be higher.

“The most important part for Rob is ‘cutting off’ and understanding what the collective is going to need for a tournament like the World Cup. You may be a bench player, but understanding that role is important.”