Proteas limited overs coach Rob Walter has a grand plan to get the national team to the top of the pyramid in the world game and it involves picking up some knocks along the way.
Walter, who turns 49 next Monday, is on a mission to ‘make the Proteas circle bigger’ and therefore is not afraid to pick rookies in his South Africa ODI and T20I teams, as he looks to expose more players to international cricket.
With the likes of Kwena Maphaka, Jason Smith, Nqaba Peter, Nandre Burger, and more recently Andile Simelane, among others, all getting call-ups in his last few squads, Walter is willing to go through the fire to get the refined gold. And that means taking one step back to take two steps forward.
The Proteas recently returned from the West Indies where they lost the T20I series 3-0. And after naming his squad with a vrag rookies in it for their limited overs tours to Afghanistan and Ireland, Walter says: “It’s never good to lose.
“But the reality is that we can’t rely on one group of players to win games for South Africa and so the players that you see in the squad are either high-potential players that we believe will make big contributions for SA moving forward or the next-best players in the country.
“The only way to figure out if they are good enough is to expose them to good international competition. We’re broadening our base of players…”
He adds: “A lot of T20 cricket happens around the world and franchise cricket builds experience. But it doesn’t necessarily expose you to the best players in the world…
“When facing international competition you have five international players bowling at you and continual exposure to that quality is the means to improve our cricket.
“[This selection process is] part of a deliberate plan to improve our cricket and the number of players that are ready to win games for South Africa.”
Maphaka, who is preparing for his matric exams, is the only one of the players mentioned above who won’t be involved when SA tackle Afghanistan in three ODIs starting next Wednesday and then Ireland in two T20Is and three ODIs.
PROTEAS SQUADS
ODIs v Afghanistan: Temba Bavuma (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Nqaba Peter, Andile Simelane, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne and Lizaad Williams.
T20Is v Ireland: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Simelane, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs and Lizaad Williams.
ODIs v Ireland: Temba Bavuma (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne and Lizaad Williams.