Proteas coach Walter backs Nortjé’s pace despite mediocre IPL displays

Trust, something Cricket South Africa lost long ago and is struggling to rebuild, is the foundation for the Proteas’ preparation for the T20 World Cup. 

Rob Walter is trusting Anrich Nortjé will get back to bowling at 150km/h. He is trusting Quinton de Kock’s innate competitiveness will elevate his performances back to the level seen at the ODI World Cup last year. Trust engagements with the players, done virtually because half of his World Cup squad is in India, will be sufficient to restore the team spirit so important to the unlikely run to the semifinals last year. 

Walter admitted he was not a gambling man despite his selection of Nortje, who missed the whole of last season with a back injury and has since his return lacked the pace he previously bowled with, looking like a major risk. 

“I trust the quality of the players. Anrich has another month before the World Cup starts. There is no doubt, he will hit his straps. It's good to see his speed is up and with more playing and training he’ll start to get his feel back,” Walter said after naming the 15-man World Cup squad on Tuesday. 

Nortje, who asked not to be considered for a national contract, played three matches for the Warriors in the domestic T20 Challenge before flying to India for the IPL, where his performances have appeared to be that of a player low on confidence, because he still doesn’t trust his body. In his six matches in the IPL this year, Nortje has taken only six wickets while his economy rate of 13.36 is illustrative of the bruising scoring in that tournament but also his own struggles with rhythm.

“It’s been tough choosing the seam bowling component of the squad, there is not a hell of a lot to separate them. The one thing Anrich has is raw pace, there are not a lot of guys who can bowl 150, he can. He’s shown in the past year he is a quality competitor and pace is an X-factor. In particular, taking the top four wickets creates a large success rate in winning games, statistically he’s been very successful there.” 

South Africa face Sri Lanka in their opening match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Long Island, New York, on June 3. South Africa will also play Bangladesh and the Netherlands in New York and wrap up the group phase against Nepal in St Vincent.

The addition of Ottniel Baartman was less surprising, though it is his first for a World Cup. 

The 31-year-old shot to prominence in last year’s SA20, taking 12 wickets, but in this year’s tournament he took more wickets — 18 — and had a better economy rate — 6.95 — compared with 10.15 last year.

“He’s been outstanding, particularly in the SA20, he was a cut above the rest. He showed he is a quality ‘death’ bowler. Being able to manage the ‘death’ is going to be critical and he offers that speciality in his skill set,” said Walter. 

Rassie van der Dussen was a surprise omission given his consistency in the SA20, the Pakistan Super League and the CSA T20 Challenge this year, but is a victim of the plethora of resources available at the top of the order. 

Instead, Ryan Rickelton earned his first World Cup call-up as part of a powerful batting unit led by skipper Aiden Markram that includes David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen and Tristan Stubbs. 

“Ryan has had two outstanding competitions where he has played the brand of cricket we are looking to play.”

De Kock’s experience, with that of Reeza Hendricks, gives the Proteas plenty of dynamism at the top of the order, with Markram’s versatility allowing him to provide cover for the top three and the middle order, depending on the balance of the starting team. 

Walter, who is still in New Zealand, where his family live, has had to rely on interactions via Zoom with the players to keep them up to speed on plans and what they need to do in their preparations for the tournament.

“We’ve done our best to stay connected with the group, to talk about how we want to play the game, how each player fits into that game plan, what their game needs to look like for us to deliver our best as a team. It’s been great to stay connected, albeit over a screen.”

While England have called back all their players from the IPL for a four-match series with Pakistan that coincides with the play-off week in the IPL, all the Proteas players will remain with their IPL franchises until the end of that tournament. 

“In an ideal world you’d like to come together for a period of time before the campaign. Sometimes that is not possible. For me, the most important thing is the guys are playing, wherever that may be. The guys have played a hell of a lot of cricket, so to come together quickly, that is on us, that is the situation, there is no point in bemoaning what might or could be. We have to go with what is in front of us,” said Walter.

Changes can still be made to the squad until May 25. Six members of the squad will be in a group that will play three T20 Internationals against the West Indies in the last week of May.