Fast-bowling fitness in the spotlight as SA20 tests Champions Trophy readiness

Having driven the hype for the sport in its first two seasons, the script has been flipped for the SA20 in its third season, as it is now riding on the coattails of the Proteas. 

That should be deemed a success by the league’s commissioner, Graeme Smith, who has always said the tournament functions as a part of the wide development pipeline for the national team. 

But 2025 sees the competition in service of the Proteas in an even more tangible way, as it acts as both a final opportunity and a critical competitive exercise for players — especially bowlers — who want to press their case for selection for next month’s Champions Trophy. 

Rob Walter, the Proteas limited-overs coach, has a clear idea of who he wants to pick, but given results in 2024, he could do with reassurance from players about form and particularly fitness for that competition, which starts in Pakistan on February 19.

South Africa kicks off its campaign two days later, against Afghanistan, and Walter will be hoping that, in the next few weeks, his top-order batters score runs and his fast bowlers don’t get injured again. 

The latter has been a concerning aspect of an otherwise outstanding summer, with injuries affecting the Test side, forcing Walter’s Test counterpart Shukri Conrad to box clever, with ever thinning resources. 

Although, in seeking positives, it has also created a couple of additional options in the shape of Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka, who made their respective international debuts. Those two are certainly in the quick bowling mix, with Bosch’s batting skills providing a useful additional element worth considering. 

Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee and Anrich Nortjé are all part of an extended group that includes Ottneil Baartman, Lizaad Williams and Nandre Burger, who have all battled physical ailments that have hampered their season. Williams and Burger won’t be playing again, but the rest have to prove they are capable of playing a series of matches in a row — which the SA20 will test.

Coetzee and Ngidi both picked up groin injuries, and in the case of Ngidi, because he lacks Coetzee’s pace, he needs to show he can bowl his variations — which would be useful on Pakistan’s pitches — with more control and consistency.

Like Coetzee, Nortje — who opted out of a full-time national contract last year — needs game time to be considered for the 50-over format. Nortje was set to return for the Proteas, until he had his toe broken in the nets ahead of the first T20 with Pakistan last month. Conrad even confirmed that Nortje would have played the Boxing Day Test had that not happened, which would mean he is also being considered for the Champions Trophy.

That kind of raw pace — which Coetzee also brings to the table — would be an important component for SA, but form and fitness are paramount.

Among the batters, it’s less about injury concerns and more about confidence that Walter hopes they can find. For Temba Bavuma, the fact that he was not contracted by an SA20 franchise may prove a blessing in disguise, as it will allow time for his body to heal after a demanding few weeks of Test cricket. He also has a triangular series in Pakistan before the Champions Trophy that provides an opportunity to build some 50-over rhythm.

Tony de Zorzi is another not contracted to the SA20, and for him that is a blow, because besides the financial benefits, he needed game time, especially in a format that demands greater aggression, which could prove useful for his batting generally.

The rest of the top order candidates — like Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs — need runs under their belts. It won’t matter that it comes in a different format. Walter has said he’s confident the players can switch between 20-overs and the demands of the 50-over game, but most importantly he wants as much competitive cricket under their belts, along with runs for the batters, before they head to Pakistan.