The Proteas het nie tyd vir speletjies, but they are desperate for game time.
On Sunday, a South Africa ‘A’ squad take on Sri Lanka in the first of three one-dayers as part of a tour which also includes two four-day matches.
On the face of it, that just sounds a bietjie boring, but if you take a closer look, then it’s plain to see that the manne at Cricket SA (CSA) are on a mission.
Touchdown Kandy 🇱![CDATA[]]>🇰
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 1, 2023
The SA 'A' team has safely arrived in Sri Lanka ahead of their three one-day and two four-day matches.
Full schedule 🔗 https://t.co/AzIBqMPTxw#BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/zQe7MM2M9q
After scraping through qualification for the World Cup in India later this year, the Proteas want to make a regte fist of it when they arrive on the subcontinent.
So what are they doing?
It’s the composition of that ‘A’ squad that has me rubbing my hands together and the three 50-over games will be of huge significance.
They headed to Sri Lanka on Wednesday with some of SA cricket’s brightest prospects.
Tony de Zorzi will captain the side with Matthew Breetzke, Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis all in the batting department and pace ace Gerald Coetzee will lead the bowling attack.
Also in the mix is Keegan Petersen and Kyle Verreynne, who have both played for the national senior team.
And they will play under guidance of Test coach Shukri Conrad.
It’s obvious to me that they are given these manne a kans to push for places in the World Cup squad.
With the exception of Indian Premier League batters Stubbs and Brevis, these manne are short on experience of subcontinental conditions.
And so the rest will be looking to get to grips with the slow-and-low, spin-friendly pitches.
De Zorzi has the talent to play in all three formats of the game, but as captain, he may have the steepest learning curve to conquer.
He won’t be as comfortable as Stubbs and Brevis and with the extra load of leading the team, it’s going to be a huge challenge.
But if he comes through it with flying colours, it will boost his chase for a pot in the World Cup squad.
Breetzke is another player who has a massive point to prove.
Before Stubbs and Brevis, the 24-year-old was seen as the next big thing in Mzansi cricket.
Compared to Ricky Ponting as he headed off to U19 World Cup in 2018, he looks up to SA-born England hero Kevin Pietersen.
But he still hasn’t made his debut for the Proteas.
This is that opportunity to show that he still has it, especially with Stubbs and Brevis starting to get the recognition he would think he should have by now.
However, talent is niks without application. And that will be a warning to the latter duo.
Stubbs is yet to truly prove he has what it takes to make it on the international stage, with just one ODI and 14 T20Is under his belt.
And “Baby AB” himself, Brevis, will have to show total commitment during an innings to match his complete package of shots.
It’s one thing to give these players their shot and tell them to get on with it. Maar dit werk mos nie so nie. And that’s where bra Shuks comes in.
I don’t think his impact on the Proteas’ new mindset and energy can be overstated since the stale end to Mark Boucher’s tenure.
Even though he is the Test coach, he seems to be taking the lead role in CSA’s twin coaching setup - with Rob Walter leading the white-ball teams.
Conrad has been hailed by the likes of Temba Bavuma for their turnaround in form and focus.
It’s no coincidence that he has been handed the responsibility to lead this group of players.
matthew.marcus@inl.co.za