Johannesburg [South Africa], January 9 : Former South African cricketer JP Duminy said that the ongoing SA20 season four gives Proteas a fine chance to prepare for their ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign in India and Sri Lanka, noting that while conditions could be different in Asia, momentum produced through this tournament would help create confidence ahead of the marquee tournament.
Speaking during the 'SA20 virtual media interaction', Duminy, who scored over 9,100 runs for Proteas across all formats in 326 international appearances, said that after the SA20, Proteas will play three T20Is against West Indies, with the latter touring to the rainbow nation starting from January 27 onwards. But the momentum built during SA20 could help in creating confidence ahead of this series and the T20 WC.
"Yeah, it certainly warrants some great preparation. I know they play three T20Is against the West Indies just before the T20 World Cup. You want to give yourself the best chance of being ready for a T20 World Cup event. Yes, the conditions may be slightly different, but more importantly, how do you create confidence? Momentum creates confidence. If you gain momentum through the SA20 and then through three T20s against the West Indies, you give yourself the best chance going into a World Cup event. So, yes, the positioning is ripe for some great performances and strong confidence going into the tournament," he said.
In the T20 WC, South Africa is the part of perhaps the most dangerous group, with New Zealand, Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Canada and UAE in the Group D. They will start off against Canada at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on February 9.
Led by Aiden Markram, the team features a potent mix of veterans like Quinton de Kock, David Miller, and Kagiso Rabada, alongside emerging talents such as Dewald Brevis and Kwena Maphaka.
Having lost the 2024 final to India by seven runs at Barbados, the Proteas will be aiming to lift their second major world title after the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) triumph over Australia last year.
SA T20 World Cup squad: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wk), Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Smith.
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