CSA T20 Challenge Team of the Tournament

CSA T20 Challenge Team of the Tournament. Tim Dale Lace compiles the best XI of the successful CSA T20 Challenge.

The Proteas – Plotting The Path to World Cup 2023

Some of the Proteas involved showed why they are the best in the country but it also a chance to see new talent on our screens. We take a look at the best XI of the competition and added in some honourable mentions.

Reeza Hendricks

Runs 257
Average 36.71
Strike Rate 118.43
4’s – 21 6’s – 8

In a tournament where opening batsmen struggled to get used to the slowness of the various Durban pitches, Hendricks was dependable if not especially exciting although his strokeplay through the offside were at times mesmerising. He has not always scored runs quickly, as you would expect but he has ensured the Lions have been solid up front this tournament and with his fellow partner Rickelton having a poor tournament this was needed. He has had a consistent tournament and finished as the leading run-scorer.

Rassie Van Der Dussen

Runs 167
Average 41.75
Strike Rate 121.89
4’s – 8 6’s – 7

Rassie would be my opener because the Lions incumbent Ryan Rickelton had such a shocker of a tournament. He scored runs throughout the tournament at a decent strike rate of over 120. His best score was 64 off 41 balls versus the Warriors in the Lions’ first game of the tournament. There were other useful and important knocks like his 37 off 24 balls against noisy neighbours the Titans.

Temba Bavuma

Runs 216
Average 43.20
Strike Rate 114.28
4’s – 9 6’s – 8

Temba has been excellent throughout and finished second in the leading run-scorers for the tournament. He has been the Lions rock, where others have scored around him, hence his strike rate is not that high. But his value cannot be understated especially when you consider how well he has marshalled his troops with several Proteas in it as captain and having to pull his team out of the fire against the Warriors in the playoff fixture. His 48 off 37 in this must win game was an innings of great maturity and skill when his team was in a spot of bother.

Heinrich Klaasen

Runs 114
Average 38.00
Strike Rate 135.71
4’s – 10 6’s – 4

In a tournament where the keepers struggled with the bat and behind the stumps, Klaasen has bucked that trend, even in a team with a host of Proteas who have struggled to pick their best XI and subsequently missed out on a spot in the playoffs. At times he did show just why he was in the Proteas T20 team in Pakistan, none more so than in a losing cause against the Dolphins when the Titans needed 54 off the final 25 balls, he smashed the ball to all parts on his way to 29 off just 14 balls. He made a similarly impressive 54* against the Knights in his opening game of the tournament.

David Miller

Runs 158
Average 52.66
Strike Rate 131.66
4’s – 8 6’s – 8

He has been excellent for the Dolphins, smashing the ball to all parts of the ground. His 56 off 38 against an attack of Rabada, Hendricks and Fortuin was easily his most impressive. His 49* against the Titans in the Dolphins’ final game before the final, while not crucial for the team, was just as impressive when you consider he did it against fellow Proteas Morris, Ngidi and Shamsi. All in all, taking in his overall performances and an impressive strike rate throughout the tournament, you realize just how remarkably consistent he has been.

George Linde

Runs 119
Average 29.75
Strike Rate 167.60
4’s – 7 6’s – 7

Wkts 8
Average 17.37
Economy 6.95

Linde has been a revelation since he walked into the Proteas T20 squad and this tournament saw a continuation of that with bat and ball. His 37 off 21 against the Titans was a joy to watch. Even more impressive was his 48 off just 20 balls against the Warriors when he manoeuvred the ball exactly where he wanted to and his 4/25 in the same game was a performance of the highest order. He surely has now not only found himself a fixture in the Cobras team, but you would think the Proteas one as well, at least in this format. He also finished the tournament with the second highest strike rate as a batsman who has played five matches.

Migael Pretorius

Runs 62
Average 31
Strike rate 158.97
4’s 2 6’s- 4

Wkts 6
Average 20.06
Economy 8.06

His best game of the tournament will be that 19 off 8 balls against the Cobras where he needed 16 off the final three deliveries against Ziyaad Abrahams, very impressive considering the previous three balls in the over had gone for just three. Elsewhere, he managed a 38 off 23 against the Dolphins and picked up 6 wickets with the ball. His hitting with the bat was a joy to watch though, a real find of the tournament.

Ayabulela Gqamane

Runs 82
Average 13.66
Strike rate 164.00
4’s – 6 6’s – 5

Wkts 5
Average 12.80
Economy 7.11

If injuries had not affected his career as they have perhaps, Gqamane would be better known in this format. He wasted no chances to show us his skills. His tournament bowling economy of just over seven an over is very impressive but his most impressive performances leading up to the Warriors playoff game have been with the bat. He scored only 74 runs in the tournament but his strike rate of 189.74 is by far the best of the tournament. His 37 off 17 balls where he took a special liking to Chris Morris and the rest of the Titans attack was right up there with some of the cleanest hitting we saw in the tournament.

Keshav Maharaj

Wkts 8
Average 13.62
Economy 4.54

Maharaj has never played a T20 game for South Africa. That is a sentence that is hard to swallow when you look at the superhuman performances he completed in this tournament. Maharaj was simply unplayable in conditions in his hometown. It really did not matter what position his team were in at the time or when he was brought onto bowl, he was simply unstoppable. His economy for the tournament was 4.35 leading to the final and when you realize he went for eight an over in the Dolphins last game before the final, it could have even been better. He bowled with guile and accuracy throughout and the batsmen had no answer. His 1/10 in 4 overs against nine Proteas was probably his best performance.

Kagiso Rabada

Wickets 9
Average 15.33
Economy 6.00

Rabada has in many ways been a class above in this tournament. He has bowled with great pace and skill. He used his slower ball very well on pitches where they have been amazingly effective. Like Lungi Ngidi, his death bowling was also very impressive. His performance of 3/12 in four overs in the final was exceptional and in the end, match winning.

Lungi Ngidi

Wickets 10
Average 9.80
Economy 5.76

Ngidi’s expertise with the white ball is well known and he has a very impressive record to back that up. He was easily the pick of the pure pace bowlers in this tournament. Like Nortje, he was superb at the death for the Titans, finishing the tournament with the best economy in the death overs, of under-five an over. His overall economy for the tournament was a fraction under six, as he finished joint highest wicket-taker at the end of the group stage. South Africa will hope the injury he picked up in the Titans last game is not a serious one because they will need him in a T20 World cup year.

Honourable Mentions

Sisanda Magala

Magala has been one of the best if not the best white-ball bowler in South Africa domestic cricket for last few years and this competition was just more proof of that. Magala ended the competition with 13 wickets, the best return out of all bowlers. His economy was under eight as well, which is very respectable considering he is a death bowler. His best figures of the tournament was 5/20. If he is not considered for Proteas selection, it would be a travesty considering his performances.

Kyle Verreynne

He may not have made an impact with the bat in a way that one might expect with his talent but did time the ball beautifully in a team that struggled throughout. Verreynne was very inventive with some of his shot making as well, good signs of a player with many layers to his game. He also finished with a good strike rate of a touch under 130, which is more important than his average.

Robbie Frylinck

If there is one player the Dolphins probably could not live without it is probably Robbie Frylinck, finishing the tournament in fifth place overall in wickets taken with eight and an economy of under seven an over. He proved throughout that at 36 age is just a number. Like red wine, he seems to have improved with age.

Raynard van Tonder

Everyone knows Van Tonder is a good player but whether he could do it in a T20 was an unknown. He dispelled any rumours suggesting he could not with a magnificent 81 off 57 against the Warriors, an innings where he allowed himself to consolidate first, scoring at less than a run a ball for his opening few runs, before going through the gears but never losing his shape with his shot making.

Tristan Stubbs

tubbs may have only had an impact in two of the Warriors six games but when called upon he looked like a man who is very comfortable at this level. His two best innings were against both teams of the highveld where he made 44 off 31 balls against the Titans and 37 off 26 against the Lions. In a competition where most have struggled to score at a strike rate over 130 he has not had a problem. He looks to be the find of the tournament.

Zubayr Hamza

Hamza’s struggles this season in all formats are well known and have been spoken about a lot, so it was not a surprise that he was relieved of the captaincy for the tournament. Nobody was sure how it would work and when his first two innings of the tournament were scores of 0 and 5, things did not look good. Then came a game against the Knights where it is fair to say he was given a few freebies by the bowlers. However, you still must capitalize on that and capitalize he did with a magnificent 77 off 49 balls followed by 57 off 45 balls in the next game against the Warriors.

Anrich Nortje

Nortje did not start this tournament especially well, going for 33 in his 3.2 overs against the Lions in the first game but once he found the best way on the Durban pitches, he was superb. None was more impressive than when he went for 15 in his 4 overs against the only unbeaten side leading to the final, the Dolphins. Nortje has been most impressive in the death overs, going for under six an over. His use of variety in pace and cutters in the death overs shows a man who is working on his game and is not just a speed merchant.