OPINION: Fringe players stick their hands up for Proteas in T20 tri-series
· Citizen
When the Proteas compete against lower-ranked opposition, it’s standard for new and fringe players to be given a chance, and some of the individuals participating in the T20 International tri-series in Windhoek which concluded at the weekend took full advantage of their opportunities.
With the bat, Dewald Brevis and Lhuan-dré Pretorius were the standout performers, further cementing the faith the national selectors have previously shown in them.
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Standing up at the top of the order, 20-year-old Pretorius and 23-year-old Brevis laid solid foundations throughout the series, with both players hitting 226 runs at an average of 56.50.
In the process, Pretorius bashed a century and a half-century, while Brevis made two fifties, as they finished top of the run-scoring charts.
However, while both those players were already part of the Proteas’ long-term plans, it was all-rounder Duan Jansen who stood out among the newbies.
Jansen and others stand up
Making his international debut, Jansen was superb. A spitting image of his twin brother Marco in more ways than one, he was the leading wicket-taker in the series, grabbing 11 scalps at an average of 12.36. He also contributed 51 runs at a strike rate of 145.71 in four innings without losing his wicket.
There were other fringe players who delivered, and they too will have the selectors thinking ahead of the Proteas’ next T20 series.
Jordan Hermann and Connor Esthuizen (who took five catches and a stumping) both hit valuable half-centuries, while stand-in captain Bjorn Fortuin, who has been in and out of the national squad over the last seven years, took 10 wickets, and fellow spinner Prenelan Subrayen secured seven scalps.
And while there are no T20 games to be played in upcoming home tours against Australia and England before the end of the year, there are three T20 matches to be contested against Bangladesh in December, and some players in Namibia might well have done enough to earn the nod for selection.
In addition, with most of the players listed above competing in a three-match ODI series against Namibia this week, if they continue to shine, they might do enough to be considered for 50-over campaigns against higher-ranked opposition.