Kagiso Rabada and Enrique Nortje, the team is ranked among the two leading T20 fast bowlers in the world. Rabada has been a celebrated player for years, having taken 99 IPL wickets at an average of below 20, apart from his 51 T20 matches. However, Nortje’s rise in recent seasons has added a second string to his world-class attack: regularly one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket, he took 18 T20I wickets last year at an average of 18.68.
It’s hard to find an attack that involves two real Tej working together, with Lungi Ngidi and Dwayne Pretorius leading the way. In fact, both have the most wickets among South Africa’s fast bowlers since 2019, making it a well-rounded pace attack that can blow away even the best of the batting line-up.
Shamsi’s record last year has been nothing short of extraordinary, taking 27 wickets at an average of 15.22 and economy of 6.13. His 27-wicket haul took him seven wickets ahead of Rabada in second place. With Keshav Maharaj for company, this is an important aspect of South Africa’s bowling, and may define how they perform later this year.
Miller enjoyed his best IPL season, scoring 481 runs at an average of around 70. In the last 12 months, the left-handed batsman has scored runs for South Africa at a strike rate of 151.27 and an average of 39.66. His form with three T20 World Cup experience could be a good reason to take South Africa over the line.
Like most of his decade-long career, Quinton de Kock has remained South Africa’s leading batsman over the past year, averaging exactly 40 with five half-centuries in 17 innings. The starts he gives at the top often prove to be crucial for the team.
Meanwhile, Markram has improved his game significantly – his off-spin continues to develop, while he has excelled with his batting which is his primary skill. In T20Is, he has a strike rate of 147.00 from l8 innings, and took his game to the next level in the IPL this year with an average of 47.63 and a striking strike of 134.10.