Aiden Markram will lead South Africa’s charge for the first time in an ICC event as he’s been appointed the T20I skipper for the Proteas’ squad in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, set to take place in the USA and West Indies.
The squad sees notable inclusions of Anrich Nortje and Quinton de Kock, who were recently left out of Cricket South Africa’s central contract list. Nortje has been out of action since September 2023 due to a back injury, while De Kock retired from ODIs after the 2023 Cricket World Cup, having already bid farewell to Test cricket in 2022.
Ryan Rickelton and Ottniel Baartman have earned their spots following impressive performances in the recent SA20 tournament, being the two uncapped T20I players in the squad. Rickelton emerged as the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 530 runs at an average of 58.88 and a strike rate of 173.77 for MI Cape Town, while Baartman claimed 18 wickets in eight matches for defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
In addition to youthful talent, the Proteas boast a strong batting core featuring Markram, De Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, and the promising Tristan Stubbs.
The pace attack will be led by Kagiso Rabada and Nortje, supported by Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee, while Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, and Tabraiz Shamsi will handle the spin department.
Coach Rob Walter expressed the difficulty in selecting the squad due to the abundance of T20 cricket played recently and the impressive form displayed by the players. He congratulated the two uncapped players, Ryan and Ottniel, on their selection, expressing pride and confidence in the squad’s strength and potential for success in the West Indies and USA.
South Africa will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign on June 3 against Sri Lanka in New York.
South Africa T20 World Cup 2024 squad
South Africa squad: Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.
Traveling reserves: Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi.
All teams have the flexibility to make adjustments to their squad until May 25th. After this date, any changes will need approval from the ICC’s Event Technical Committee.