Ageing Proteas T20 World Cup core will face tough competition come 2026

David Miller of South Africa plays a shot during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final match between South Africa and India at Kensington Oval on 29 June 2024 in Bridgetown, Barbados. (Photo: Pankaj Nangia / Gallo Images)

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

2 Jul 2024

The two years until the next T20 World Cup provide a chance for emerging local talent to audition for a spot at the global event.

All-rounder Marco Jansen had his worst match of the T20 World Cup in the final where South Africa lost by seven runs to India on Saturday, but his best years are in front of him as South Africa look to build on a successful T20 World Cup campaign.

He was the most expensive bowler on the day, conceding 49 runs in his four-over quota. With the bat, Jansen failed to sway the match in South Africa’s favour, scoring just two runs off four deliveries before being clean bowled by India’s pace spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah.

ageing proteas 2026 Marco Jansen of South Africa bowls during the ICC Men’s 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup final against India at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, on 29 June 2024. (Photo: Darrian Traynor-ICC / ICC via Getty Images)

It was a nervy start to the encounter by Jansen as he conceded 15 runs off the first over of the encounter, including dishing up three half-volleys to then-out-of-form Virat Kohli. The batter went on to score a match-winning 76 off 59 balls.

It was an unfortunate final for Jansen, whose level-headed heroics with the bat in the final Super Eight match against West Indies saw South Africa through to the semifinals of the T20 World Cup.

Jansen, though, will get better at handling the bigger occasions and his experience in the final will help that development. The lanky all-rounder has been a regular member of the national team, in all three formats, for the past three years. For that reason, it’s easy to forget how young and inexperienced he is.

Jansen is only 24 and before the start of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the US had only played five T20Is.

He’ll be at the next T20 World Cup in 2026, in Sri Lanka and India, and possibly at the next few — there will be a T20 World Cup every two years until 2030.

A few others in the current T20 squad, however, will be at a stretch in 2026.

Retired or not?

ageing proteas 2026 Quinton de Kock of South Africa bats during the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2024 Super Eight match against USA at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on 19 June. (Photo: Gareth Copley / Getty Images)

Quinton de Kock was South Africa’s standout batter in the tournament scoring a team high of 243 runs at a strike rate of 140.46.

But the 31-year-old might have played his last match in the green and gold in the final.

De Kock had retired from Test cricket at the end of 2021 and wanted to retire from international cricket at the end of the 2023 50-over Cricket World Cup — where he was also the leading run scorer for the country.

But a conversation with Rob Walter persuaded him to stay on in T20I cricket until the conclusion of the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup.

De Kock has not yet formally announced his retirement in the format and his sparkling form in the tournament, as well as South Africa breaking new ground, might have sparked a desire to continue. However, his international retirement would be unsurprising.

South Africa’s average age at the T20 World Cup was a little over 27, but several senior core players in the Proteas side are in their mid-30s and will face fierce competition when the next T20 World Cup rolls around.

An ageing core

ageing proteas 2026 David Miller of South Africa plays a shot during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final match between South Africa and India at Kensington Oval on 29 June 2024 in Bridgetown, Barbados. (Photo: Pankaj Nangia / Gallo Images)

David Miller was the oldest member of the T20 World Cup squad and was the side’s third-highest run scorer at the tournament behind De Kock and Heinrich Klaasen.

At 35, Miller remains athletic in the field and has scored runs in vital matches and moments for the team.

Before he emerged as a white-ball star, South Africa struggled for a long time to find a reliable finisher, but the options have increased in recent years.

National teammates Tristan Stubbs and Klaasen are world-class performers at the franchise level, while emerging star Donovan Ferreira continues to knock on the door.

Opener Reeza Hendricks, who turns 35 later this year, struggled with the willow at the T20 World Cup – scoring only 113 runs in nine innings, even though he previously enjoyed a prosperous 24-month stint in the shortest format.

Whether he remains backed by head coach Rob Walter or replaced by one of the other openers, Ryan Rickelton – who could also potentially replace De Kock – or Matthew Breetzke, remains to be seen.

The spinners who played throughout the T20 World Cup tournament for South Africa, Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj, are both 34.

While the pair had excellent World Cup campaigns, on the bench was 29-year-old left-arm orthodox bowler – just like Maharaj – Bjorn Fortuin, who never took to the playing field in the tournament.

There has also been the recent emergence of 21-year-old wrist spinner – similar to Shamsi – Nqaba Peter, who got a taste of international cricket in the West Indies before the T20 World Cup.

The two years between the T20 World Cups will be used as an audition period for players to state their case for competing at the next T20 World Cup. DM

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Retired or not?

An ageing core