South African Cricket Team 15-Man Squad For T20 World Cup 2022

South Africa has unfinished business at the World Cup, after the way last year’s T20 World Cup unfolded.

Winning four out of their five matches, South Africa was unable to advance to the next knockout phase of the tournament in 2021. The men in green will have felt hard done by, narrowly missing out courtesy of a poor net run rate. This year, they will be out to avenge that, and have named a strong 15-man squad to do so.

Notably, Rassie van der Dussen has not been picked, after being ruled out due to a finger fracture. Skipper Temba Bavuma has been selected, however, with his recovery from an elbow injury on track. Tristan Stubbs will gain his first cap in T20I World Cups in the absence of van der Dussen, while the rest of the team stays consistent.

Below, we analyse each selection on a position by position basis, breaking down the full T20 World Cup 2022 squad announced by South Africa.

South Africa’s full squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup this October

Temba Bavuma (captain), Aiden Markram, Rilee Rossouw, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Marco Jansen, Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi.

Batsmen – Consistency and Experience at the Top

In a T20 landscape that can often favour the next shiny thing, South Africa have elected to go for a steady, experienced batting line up for this World Cup.

The five specialist batsmen named by South Africa in their 15-man squad ahead of October are as follows:

Between these five specialist batsmen are 218 caps, with an average of 44 caps per player at the T20I level. This significant experience will do South Africa well when they inevitably face pressure moments on the big stage—these batsmen have seen it all before.

33-year-old David Miller offers the most experience, with 104 matches at this level. The power packed batsman has just shy of 2000 T20I runs, struck at an impressive 142.15 strike rate, putting him among the world’s best in this version of the game. His 105 IPL games and 2455 runs testify to the fact that he is a hot commodity around the world, and will be a crucial cog in South Africa’s batting machine come October.

Reeza Hendricks and Temba Bavuma are the next old hands in this batting line up, with Bavuma captaining the team. With both men in their early 30s and scoring at a strike rate of over 120 consistently, they are useful anchors for the rest of the team to bat around. Hendricks holds a high score of 74 while Bavuma has reached 72 previously, exactly the kind of contributions South Africa will be looking for in this World Cup.

Aiden Markram and Rilee Rossouw round out the specialist batsmen for South Africa, bringing the least experience with only 23 and 18 matches respectively. However, Markram has already struck 722 runs from his 23 appearances, at an impressive strike rate of 152.64, while Rossouw is not far behind with 458 runs at a rate of 145.86. Look for both of these to make valuable cameos, playing around the likes of Hendricks and Bavuma in the middle overs.

Overall stats for South Africa Players in T20Is - Batsmen

T20I stats for South Africa players in Australia - Batsmen

All Rounders – South Africa’s Biggest Gap

Compared to other teams in this year’s World Cup, South Africa are relatively light on all-round options with only two genuine all-rounders available for selection.

The two all-round options South Africa have selected for the 2022 T20 World Cup are:

Neither of these men are batting allrounders, hence the five specialist batsmen being required in this 15-man squad. Wayne Parnell has a high score of 29 after 45 T20Is, hitting at a modest 113.93. Marco Jansen has played just 1 T20I so far but he is a quality all-rounder for South Africa and has the ability to change the course of the game with his batting and bowling.

With the ball, however, Parnell and Marco Jansen are much more adept. Parnell has similar bowling figures, with a career-best of 5/30, and 50 wickets across 45 matches. He too can be expensive, averaging 8.22 runs given away per over.

Overall stats for South Africa Players in T20Is - All-Rounders

T20I stats for South Africa players in Australia - All-Rounders

Wicketkeepers – Plenty of Batting Strength Behind the Stumps

Making up for their light all-round options, South Africa has named three wicketkeeper batsmen in their squad.

The three players providing wicketkeeping options for South Africa in their T20 World Cup campaign this year are as follows:

Expect two of these wicketkeepers to make South Africa’s starting 11, with both Heinrich Klaasen and Quinton de Kock providing excellent batting options in their own right. 22-year-old Tristan Stubbs, on the other hand, is likely to play apprentice in this squad, with the newbie only in line for an appearance should injuries occur.

Klaasen and de Kock have over 2,500 T20I runs between them across the last decade. With Quinton de Kock also scoring more than that alone in the IPL, both of these wicketkeeping options have genuine firepower. Klaasen averages 25.04 at a strike rate of 147.62, while de Kock is at an average of 31.05 coming at 133.38. Either one of these batters is a good option to fill out South Africa’s top six, while also having the ability to bat further down the order with the bowlers.

Should one or both of them suffer from injury or a drop off in form, then the young Tristan Stubbs with his strike rate of 216.36 across six T20I matches is a strong back up option.

Overall stats for South Africa Players in T20Is - Wicket Keepers

T20I stats for South Africa players in Australia - Wicket Keepers

Bowlers – Threatening Yet Expensive Fast Bowlers

A total of seven bowling options are available to South Africa in their 15-man squad, with the two bowling all-rounders supporting a five-man strong specialist bowling attack.

The five specialist bowling options for South Africa in the 2022 T20 World Cup are as follows:

The three-pronged fast bowling attack of Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi is about as good as it gets at this level. With these three firing, supported by the spin of either Keshav Maharaj or Tabraiz Shamsi, South Africa will back themselves to bowl out the best in the world.

Nortje is the freshest of South Africa’s fast bowling attack, with only 22 caps after debuting in 2019. The right-arm bowler has taken 23 wickets in this time, at an economy of 7.12—but has taken almost twice that in the IPL over 30 matches, proving his worth. Ngidi and Rabada are the seasoned veterans, having taken 49 and 52 wickets in T20Is respectively. Both can be on the expensive side with economies above 8.5, but are a fearsome duo taking wickets in the powerplay or at the death.

Spinners Maharaj and Shamsi offer options in the middle overs, with Shamsi the incumbent spinner for South Africa. The left-armer has a nice 69 wickets from his 56 T20I appearances, at a respectable economy of 7.11. Should South Africa elect to play two spinners, then Maharaj’s left-arm orthodox spin can come in handy, with the wily 32-year-old claiming 15 scalps in 18 T20Is.

Overall stats for South Africa Players in T20Is - Bowlers

T20I stats for South Africa players in Australia - Bowlers

Check T20 World Cup 2022 Squads For Other Teams