Top 5 South African T20 Players - Can They Win The T20 World Cup 2021?

South Africa’s overall win-loss record of 18-12 in the ICC Men’s may look a pretty good one but they haven’t been consistent enough. The Proteas have made it to the semi-finals only twice (2009 and 2014) in six editions so far and they have never made it to the final.

In the 2016 edition, they couldn’t go past the Super 10s round. They won two and lost as many as they faced an early exit in the tournament. South Africa have not made it to the semi-finals in the last three ICC tournaments and they will be desperate to change that record. The Temba Bavuma-led side are placed in a tough group and they need to be at their absolute best if they are to have any sort of chance of progressing from the Super 12s.

For that, these five players may hold the key and they could well be the ones that could win it for South Africa.

Anrich Nortje

It’s been only a little over a couple of years since Antich Nortje made his international debut and he has already become one of the key components of this South African bowling attack. His T20I numbers may not be great but he has been excellent in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for two seasons in a row now.

In the 2020 edition, Nortje returned with 22 scalps and he was slightly on the expensive side as he had an economy rate of 16.6. But in 2021, he was even better. He had the second-best economy rate in the tournament for any bowler who bowled more than 20 overs and the best for any fast bowler. Nortje took 12 wickets in eight games at an economy rate of 6.16.

Tabraiz Shamsi

Tabraiz Shamsi may have spent most of the second half of the IPL 2021 on the bench but he has been in terrific form in international cricket. The chinaman spinner has picked up 37 wickets from 26 matches since the start of 2020 in T20Is and that is the most by any bowler in this time period. He is leading the wicket charts in T20Is even in 2021 (28 scalps).

Hence, Shamsi is going to be vital, especially in the middle overs. Besides, if the pitches are similar to what they were in the IPL, he could well be the driving force. Mind you, South Africa play two games in Sharjah which has the slowest and lowest so far.

Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock is one of the few experienced names in the South African line-up. The left-handed wicket-keeper batsman has been a consistent performer for the Proteas over the years and he will continue to hold the key this time around as well. He has been in top form in T20Is and is the leading run-getter for South Africa since January 2020. He has amassed 740 runs at an average of 43.52 and is striking at 147.41. He has recorded seven half-centuries in 19 innings in this period. If the pitches continue to be on the slower side, de Kock’s role at the top will become even bigger.

Aiden Markram

This may be a surprising name in the list but Aiden Markram has been batting quite well in T20 cricket this year. The 27-year-old has shown that he can float around the batting line-up and can adapt pretty nicely. Markram is fifth on the list of most runs in T20Is in 2021. He has aggregated 408 runs at an average of 40.80 and he has a strike-rate of 150.00. In addition to his batting, he can chip in well with the ball and could fill in with some useful overs of off-spin too.

Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada has blown hot and cold in the recent past. He dominated the 2020 season of the IPL and won the Purple Cap as well as he returned with 30 wickets. However, this year, he took 15 wickets in as many games and he had an economy rate of 8.14 which is the second-worst for any Delhi Capitals bowler (minimum five games).

His form in the series against Sri Lanka wasn’t great either. He could pick only a couple of wickets and he conceded runs at an economy rate of 9.12. But he is going to be the spearhead of this South African attack and he has considerable experience of playing the UAE. Thus, Rabada will be crucial for the Proteas.