FILE - Matthew Breetzke plays a shot during a T20 match against India in 2023. Breetzke can stake a claim for a permanent spot in the South African team in the series against Ireland. FILE - Matthew Breetzke plays a shot during a T20 match against India in 2023. Breetzke can stake a claim for a permanent spot in the South African team in the series against Ireland. PictureL Phill Magakoe / AFP
As the Proteas approach the end of a cricket cycle, where a few top players are heading towards the twilight of their careers, the time has come for the young players to show their worth.
The 2024 SA20 showcased a lot of that talent, with batters such as Ryan Rickleton and Matthew Breetzke coming to the fore against top quality opposition. However, they just haven’t been able to replicate that form when given the chance for the Proteas.
Both Rickelton and Breetzke are quality players and will get another chance to show their worth in the absence of players such as Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller when the Proteas take on Ireland in a T20 International series in the United Arab Emirates.
The first match in Abu Dhabi start on Friday at 5.50pm.
“I think if you look at the SA20, the guys that are here now do really well at SA20,” captain Aiden Markram said ahead the match.
The SA20 gets full marks from Markram 💯
— FanCode (@FanCode) September 26, 2024
Ahead of the series against Ireland, Aiden Markram highlights how the @sa20_league has positively impacted South African cricket and names a few young talents to keep an eye out for! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/nwwxJPLSvw
“I personally feel that the standard of SA20 is really high. The guys have the ability, and they have shown at. So, there’s a few guys that deserve to be here firstly, and deserve to have that opportunity to grow their games as cricketers and get exposed to international cricket.
“And hopefully if they get a fair opportunity and feel really comfortable in the environment, they can start putting in some nice performances for the team.”
Markram himself will be looking for runs in this format after a rather lean spell. The captain Markram has managed just 176 runs at an average of 16 in 12 T20 International matches this year. His highest score came at the T20 World Cup when he made a 46 against the United States.
However, Markram did find some form in the One-Day International against Afghanistan, where he stoked a 69 steer the side to a consolation win, which will give him some confidence going into the Ireland series.
“I’ve always wanted to be a captain that leads from the front, and that comes through performance,” Markram said from Abu Dhabi yesterday.
“Every time when I go out to bat, I want to score runs and win games for the team. I don’t think anything changes from there.
“But we understand the nature of the beast. Like I’ve said many times before, the prep has been good.
“Fortunately, I feel like the prep has gone well. We’ll see how it goes, but I’ll definitely be pushing to put in big performances to help the team win.”
@JohnGoliath82