South Africa Team Preview

Get all the latest facts, betting predictions and the top betting sites for South Africa’s T20 World Cup team!

South Africa Betting –  T20 World Cup

South Africa have not had much joy in the T20 World Cup so far. Not only are they yet to actually win the tournament, but they’ve never even made a final.

But then again, South Africa have traditionally been big underachievers when it comes to big tournaments in general, also failing to make a World Cup final in the ODI format.

Last time out it was yet another Group Stage exit in the UAE, albeit in rather unfortunate circumstances.

Will things be any different this time? We’ll have to see.

Next up is our analysis of the current team, their strengths and weaknesses, history in the competition and the latest South Africa T20 2021 World Cup online cricket satta bazar for them.

Where to bet on South Africa

Betway

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Best Odds for South Africa to Win

The best odds for online betting on South Africa to win the T20 World Cup are with Betway. 

They’re offering the best price of 8.5 on the Proteas. If you want to find out a little bit more about this highly recommended online betting site, check out our Betway review when you have a minute.

That’s a big cut in price from their odds ahead of the last World Cup, when they were 13.0.

But that’s with good reason: they’ve been good over the past 12 months, have had some new and exciting young players come into the side and seem to have more bases covered than they did last year.

The odds are…pretty much right.

The bookmakers know perfectly well that they haven’t performed well in the competition in the past and that there are slightly better sides out there in all departments. But they do have the players and weapons to make a splash Down Under.

So there’s no harm in taking quite a big price that the Proteas can defy the odds if you’re in that way inclined. But there are certainly considerably better teams than them on paper.

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South Africa’s Performance in 2021

Not much was expected ahead of the last World Cup from a South African side still hoping until the last minute that AB de Villiers would play and still reeling from Faf du Plessis’ refusal to commit to the national side anymore. As a result, he wasn’t picked either.

In their first match of the tournament, they were up against Australia.

It was unlucky for them on two counts.

  1. Firstly, they played a hard side first up, who as we know went on to win the whole thing.
  2. And secondly, they had to bat first. Still, there were few excuses for posting just 118.

Incredibly, it was almost a winning score.

They kept on taking wickets and only a patient 35 from Steve Smith, plus some late big-hitting from Marcus Stoinis got the Aussies home, with just two balls to spare.

Next up they beat the West Indies in a comfortable chase, did the same to Sri Lanka, and bowled Bangladesh out for just 84, getting home easily in that one as well.

But the fact it took 13.3 overs to chase such a small total, ultimately cost them.

They put in an excellent performance to beat England in their last match but with England, Australia and the Proteas all on four wins from five, it went down to net run rate.

With the worst NRR of the three, they crashed out, left to rue that opening loss to Australia and that slow chase against Bangladesh.

South Africa’s Performance in 2016

South Africa’s performance at the 2016 World Cup was in many ways typical of how they’ve fared in this tournament over the years: disappointing. It was admittedly a tough group that they were in. It was topped by eventual winners the West Indies and where the eventual runners-up- England – finished as runners-up in the group, as well.

South Africa did what was expected of them by beating underdogs Afghanistan and Sri Lanka but failed to beat either of the group’s Big Two.

They lost by two wickets as England chased a huge 230 with two balls to spare and suffered a similar fate in very different circumstances against the Windies in an all-or-nothing match. SA posted just 122/8 and did a very decent job of defending that but ultimately, a Marlon Samuels 43 just about got the Windies over the line.

AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla each played one big knock in the tournament but ultimately, they not only failed to perform as a team, but no one really came to the party on an individual basis, either. Since that last World Cup, they’ve lost a load of high-class senior players. There’s no more Hashim Amla, Jean-Paul Duminy, Dale Steyn or Imran Tahir.

The case of AB de Villiers is a slightly more complicated one. It’s almost four years since he last played a T20I for South Africa and no one knows whether he’s fully retired from international duty, or not. They’d be a far better side with him in it of course but right now, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether he might feature.

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Information bubble to represent facts about the South Africa World Cup team

South Africa facts

Let’s go through some cool stats and facts about South Africa so you can impress your friends!

  • Despite their poor showing at World Cups in terms of finishing positions, South Africa have an excellent win rate of 62.85%, the third best; only Sri Lanka and India have higher win rates than that at World Cups.
  • Middle-order batsman David Miller is the only South African to have played over 100 T20Is (currently 103).
  • Miller won the 2021 IPL with the Gujarat Titans.
  • Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi is currently the Number 2-ranked T20I bowler.
  • The only Test nation (other than ‘minnows’ Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Ireland) never to have made a T20 World Cup final.

South Africa’s World Cup Squad

Player Batting Bowling style
Temba Bavuma (c) Right Right-arm medium
Quinton de Kock (wk) Left Slow left-arm orthodox
Reeza Hendricks Right Right-arm fast-medium
Heinrich Klaasen (wk) Right Right-arm off-spin
Keshav Maharaj Right Slow left-arm orthodox
Aiden Markram Right Right-arm off-spin
David Miller Left Right-arm off-spin
Lungi Ngidi Right Right-arm fast
Anrich Nortje Right Right-arm fast
Wayne Parnell Left Left-arm fast medium
Dwaine Pretorius Right Right-arm medium-fast
Kagiso Rabada Right Right-arm fast
Rilee Rossouw Left Right-arm off break
Tabraiz Shamsi Right Left-arm unorthodox
Tristan Stubbs Right Right-arm off break

Standby players:

Andile Phehlukwayo, Marco Jansen, Bjorn Fortuin.

South Africa Squad Talking Points 

Wayne Parnell has spent the last 15 years being called up, dropped, then called up again.

And he’s back in the squad again after strong domestic performances, having missed out at the last World Cup. At 33, he’s very much a senior player these days.

The fact that Marco Jansen is just a stand-by player is a bit odd. His left-arm pace is often a handful for batsmen and he bats a bit himself. But clearly the Selectors felt he was quite similar to Parnell and preferred the latter.

Andile Phehlukwayo is another on the stand-by list who looks like he could have brought something to the table as an all-rounder. He’s arguably a better player than Dwaine Petorius, who was included.

Crown to represent the Captain of the South Africa Team

Captain: Temba Bavuma

Bavuma should not be the captain of this side. Yes, he had some success at a domestic level leading the Lions in South African domestic T20 but international cricket is a big step up from that.

He hasn’t shown either great leadership or tactical skills as skipper but that’s not even the biggest problem.

The biggest problem is that he shouldn’t be in the side as a batsman.

His T20 (domestic) record is average at best with an average of 30, strike rate of 121 and just eight fifties from his 101 matches. His international record of just one fifty in 26 matches is even worse.

His presence in the side, either as an opener or number three, means they’re leaving out far better players like Heinrich Klassen, Reeza Hendricks or at times, Aiden Markram.

Bavuma’s presence in the side may just be South Africa’s biggest negative of all.

Trophy to represent the Gun player for the South Africa team

Key Player: Quinton de Kock

With no Faf Du Plessis or AB de Villiers around anymore, he’s been their key batsman for a while now.

De Kock is absolutely crucial to SA for several reasons. He’s just about their best batsman and is probably the player who can score quickest when he really gets going.

But the real reason why he’s so important is that the Proteas often struggle in the middle order.

If de Kock can get off to a good start and score a quick 50 or 60 it will make a huge amount of difference to their chances of winning the game.

Medal to represent the game changer for the South Africa team in the World Cup

Game-changer: Tristan Stubbs

The sort who thinks nothing of coming into an under-pressure situation and tries to hit his very first ball for six. And that’s exactly the sort of mentality and intent that South Africa have been lacking ever since the start of T20 cricket.

And it’s not just intent; Stubbs has actually delivered in his short career to date, at least when it comes to boasting an extraordinary strike rate. He’s not one to die wondering.

Aged just 22 and pretty much unknown until being bought by the Mumbai Indians this IPL, he’s already racked up eight games for South Africa and 35 at domestic level.

His strike rate of 160 at domestic level is right up there with the very best in the world and his 72 off 28 against England was a glimpse of what he can do in the future. Or what he can do already.

A real game-changer.

South Africa T20 World Cup analysis

South Africa have progressed considerably over the last year or so.

10 wins from 17 matches (one no result) over the past 12 months (including last year’s World Cup) is solid rather than spectacular but they now have plenty of wicket-taking options in their bowling attack.

As far as the batting goes, veteran David Miller has had a new lease of life, Aiden Markram is one of the most consistent middle-order batsmen in the world and Tristan Stubbs’ all-out attack mentality is a real breath of fresh air for a side who has been guilty of being too conservative in the past.

But one big problem still persists.

Having trusted Temba Bavuma with the captaincy a year and a half ago, they now have to back him to be the man to lead the side at the very least for this World Cup, as well.

As explained above, his captaincy is questionable but his batting is below that: not of international standard in this format.

But it’s too late now so they have to just hope he can pul it off.

The somewhat good news is that both the big teams in their group, India and Pakistan, can be inconsistent and haven’t always been the best in Australia so the Proteas are more than capable of getting through to the semis.

A tick to represent the strengths of the South Africa World Cup team

Strengths

  • One of the very best fielding outfits with Stubbs, Bavuma and Miller all world-class fielders. Only New Zealand and Australia can match them.
  • A pace attack of Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje is right up there with the very best in the tournament and will get the most out of quick wickets Down Under.
  • Quinton de Kock could score lots of quick runs on Australian pitches.

An X to represent the weaknesses of the South Africa World Cup team

Weaknesses

  • Bavuma’s captaincy and presence on the side is negative.
  • Batting depth is not great.
  • They have a poor record at T20 World Cups.
Betway

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Parimatch

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10CRIC

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