Proteas stumble against West Indies, but there are silver linings

Kwena Maphaka of South Africa bowls in the 3rd T20I match against West Indies at Brian Lara Stadium in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, on 27 August 2024. (Photo: Daniel Prentice / Gallo Images)

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

28 Aug 2024

Tristan Stubbs and Kwena Maphaka stood out in South Africa’s poor T20 showing in the Caribbean.

The Proteas were thumped 3-0 by the West Indies in their three-match T20I series in the Caribbean — and none of the matches was close.

Seven wickets, 30 runs and eight wickets. Those were the margins of defeat as a largely experimental South African side went down to the West Indies in the Caribbean again.

Before the T20 World Cup, they lost a T20 series by the same margin to the same team.

proteas west indies maphaka Young Kwena Maphaka of South Africa bowls in the 3rd T20I match against West Indies at Brian Lara Stadium in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, on 27 August 2024. (Photo: Daniel Prentice / Gallo Images)

When it mattered most, during the T20 World Cup, however, South Africa prevailed in the Caribbean by three wickets.

The difference? The Proteas were at full strength during the World Cup.

Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj — the spine of the team that made the T20 World Cup final were all missing this time.

“It was a tough game and a tough series for us,” white-ball coach Rob Walter said after the final T20I on Wednesday night. “West Indies played really well.

“We were put under pressure over the three games and weren’t up to the mark.”

The tour was an opportunity for Walter to test the next tier of South African cricket talent.

Fringe players Ryan Rickelton, Donovan Ferreira and Patrick Kruger all got rare extended runs and there were also debuts for Jason Smith and 18-year-old Kwena Maphaka.

west indies proteas West Indies players celebrate a wicket in the 3rd T20I match against South Africa at Brian Lara Stadium in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, on 27 August 2024. (Photo: Daniel Prentice / Gallo Images)

“Irrespective of the result, it’s a huge win that we were able to give those guys some exposure,” said Walter.

“Give them a good read into their own personal game as to where they need to look to improve and where they excelled. From that point of view, I’m very chuffed that the tour was able to deliver that for us.”

Fringe players

Not everyone passed Walter’s test with flying colours, unfortunately. Rickelton has struggled to emulate his impressive domestic form on the international stage, in any format.

He made scores of four, 20 and 27 in the three knocks. In 17 international innings, he has failed to reach 50.

Ferreira is not known for his consistency, but rather for his eye-catching ability to smash the ball over the ropes. However, he looked at sea in the Caribbean and failed to put any innings of substance together in his two knocks.

Kruger, on the other hand, with his accurate medium pace and hard lower-order hitting, proved that he can perform when the chips are down.

The all-rounder came to the wicket when the team was on 42 for the loss of five wickets in the eighth over in the first T20I. Alongside Tristan Stubbs, he helped take the Proteas to a respectable total of 174 with a rearguard 44 off 32.

“Patrick Kruger, all-round, a nice find for the tour,” Walter said of Kruger. “[He] batted well in the first match and bowled well across the three games.

“It was nice to get him into the team and give him a consistent run.”

Stubbs and Maphaka stand out

proteas stubbs Tristan Stubbs of South Africa in the 3rd T20I match against West Indies at Brian Lara Stadium in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, on 27 August 2024. (Photo: Daniel Prentice / Gallo Images)

South Africa’s best showing with the willow was in the first T20I, but their total was still easily chased down by West Indies with more than two overs to spare.

Despite his teammates’ wobbles with the bat, Stubbs proved once again that he is the real deal. The 24-year-old made scores of 76, 28 and 40, notching up 144 runs at an average of 48 with a strike rate of 177.

“Stubbo, we’ve seen him bat in three different situations and in two of them, he was able to really stand out,” said Walter.

“He showed us a broad spectrum of shot options. He played well against spin, he played very well against the seam.

“He’s able to dominate the back end of the game… It’s really exciting to see a batter of his quality able to deliver a performance across three different games in three different situations.”

proteas maphaka Kwena Maphaka of South Africa bowls in the 3rd T20I match against West Indies at Brian Lara Stadium in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, on 27 August 2024. (Photo: Daniel Prentice / Gallo Images)

The other standout was young Maphaka, who not only bowled at close to 150km/h on a few occasions, but also displayed his broad skill set with clever changes of pace.

He was South Africa’s most economical bowler in the first two matches before getting some tap in the third T20 when he conceded 34 runs in two overs.

“Those that were watching the broadcast, it was plain to see that he’s got speed,” Walter said about the left-arm pacer. “As a young cricketer, it’s great to see.

“A left-armer provides a different angle. He’s able to swing the ball when there is a bit of shape.

“We saw some really exciting change-ups. For a young guy to have that already … and he bowled some seriously good overs in the death phases of the game, which shows his ability to deal with the pressures of T20 cricket.”

Walter, however, is wary of expecting too much too soon from the youngster, who is completing his matric this year.

“It is early days, so we don’t want to put too much pressure on a young cricketer, just allow him to make his way into international cricket,” the coach said.

“[He has] all the attributes to be a really good cricketer for South Africa.

“At first glance, it’s exciting, but for us, it’s really about making sure we do right by him now and take care of his progression as he moves through his career.” DM

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South Africa

Fringe players

Stubbs and Maphaka stand out