T20 hardly a challenge for World Cup-bound Proteas
It comes as no surprise that the T20 Challenge, which is entering the final straight in the next fortnight, lacks the quality of the SA20. And the value it provides in terms of preparation for those in contention for the T20 World Cup, isn’t exactly high either.
One of the reasons that Cricket SA chose to host the tournament at the back end of the season was to give game time to the players not at the IPL. The length of the competition, which will run to almost two months by the time of the final on April 28, has made it tricky for some, while the integrity has been diminished too because of the ongoing troubles with KwaZulu-Natal-Inland, which means matches can’t be played in Pietermaritzburg.
“It’s a long competition, it started before Ramadan and now Ramadan is already over and we still have two weeks to go,” Tabraiz Shamsi chuckled. “It’s tough, especially from that respect.”
Playing home and away was a demand from the provincial unions, keen to try to build on the hype of the SA20. But that hasn’t materialised with attendances, which have, for the most part, been extremely poor.
“It has been hard for someone like me, with the small crowds, the lack of intensity, less pressure... it is not up to the same standard as the SA20,” said Shamsi.
That is a sentiment shared by Rassie van der Dussen who, like Shamsi, is a strong candidate for selection to the T20 World Cup that starts in the first week of June.
“In SA20 or the Pakistan Super League, you have all the national players and then the overseas players involved, it’s not of the same standard,” said Van der Dussen.
That does bring into question the benefit for those players who are participating, especially with the World Cup in mind. On the one hand, being in T20 rhythm is a positive, which the competition provides, even if the quality isn’t as good as SA20, but Shamsi also points to the importance of having a break.
“Those of us that get picked for the World Cup will go straight into camps after this tournament, and then onto the West Indies. It would have been nice to have a bit of family time, but it is what it is,” said the left-arm wrist spinner.
The Proteas last played a T20 International in December against India, but find themselves in the same boat as most of the top teams for the World Cup in that they will have little time together before that competition starts on June 1.
The IPL final will be played on May 26, leaving the likes of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Kagiso Rabada and David Miller with barely a week — should their teams reach the final — to be ready for SA’s World Cup opener in New York on June 3 against Sri Lanka.
Before then, SA also play a three-match series against the West Indies in the last week of May. That had initially been pencilled in as preparation for the World Cup, but because of the IPL, is likely to feature a different group of players. The World Cup squad will be named in the first week of May. Van der Dussen, the second highest runscorer globally in the T20 format this year, doesn’t feel the domestic competition will have much effect on selection for the World Cup.
“I wouldn’t read too much into it. That’s not being disrespectful, I just feel the tournament is more important for the provinces who want to win a trophy.
“It has been tough. The T20 Challenge is at the end of the season, the conditions aren’t as good as they were for the SA 20. As far as the World Cup is concerned, I think they’ve mostly made up their minds already about that.”