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At the 2024 T20 World Cup, Anrich Nortje will return to the international scene following a nine-month hiatus. Aiden Markram will captain South Africa’s 15-player side, which includes Nortje, who has played in the IPL. Both seamer Ottniel Baartman and opening batsman Ryan Rickelton, who both excelled in the SA20, have been called up and will soon receive their first T20I caps.
As the top run scorer in the SA20 and the runner-up in the just concluded CSA T20 Challenge, Rickelton is expected to pair with Quinton de Kock at the top of the order. De Kock was convinced to continue playing for this event despite having retired from ODI cricket last year. The T20 World Cup is probably his final international match.
Cricket South Africa has terminated De Kock’s central contract to pursue opportunities in T20 competitions. Rob Walter, the white-ball coach, affirmed that de Kock has been selected on past performances even if he hasn’t played well in his last three events.
“Quinny, we’ve seen him do it time and time again for us,” Walter said. “Reeza has been a star performer for us in T20 cricket, was a standout in this domestic CSA T20 challenge again and Ryan Rickleton has had two outstanding competitions really where he’s played the brand of cricket that we’re looking to play. And then we’re going to Aidan Markram and that’ll be the top order. It’s mostly a performance-based decision and from Quinton’s point of view is just a real knowledge of what he’s capable of.”
Baartman, the second-highest wicket-taker at the SA20, has been chosen with the death overs in mind. “Over the last couple of years, he’s been outstanding, but in particular in the SA20 he was a cut above the rest. He really showed himself as a quality death bowler,” Walter said. “We’ve seen particularly in the last couple of weeks in IPL being able to manage the death is going to be critical and he is someone who offers that speciality. If you look at the numbers, he’s been successful through all the phases of the game. He’s worked really hard to get his name into the mix through sheer performance.”