Before the T20 World Cup started, very few expected South Africa to do well. There were a few weaknesses in the squad, and many were not in favour of the management dropping the likes of Faf du Plessis and Imran Tahir. Yet, the Proteas did well to string together four wins out of five games. They only got knocked out of the competition on net run rate. While there are plenty of positives for the team from the tournament, there are also a few areas where some improvement will be helpful. In this article, we take a look at three players who failed to grab the opportunity in the 2021 T20 World Cup for South Africa.
1) Temba Bavuma
Matches: 5 || Runs: 91 || Average: 30.33 || Strike Rate: 108.33
Temba Bavuma is one of the players who failed to grab the opportunity in the 2021 T20 World Cup for South Africa. Being the skipper of the unit, there were expectations that Bavuma would shed his tag of not being a great T20 player at the event. However, the right-hander was not able to do that.
In the five games, Bavuma opened the batting in the first two encounters and then occupied a slot in the middle-order. He hardly had an impact in any of the games. Yes, against Bangladesh, he helped his side avoid a collapse, but his 28-ball 31 run knock gave the Proteas the victory a little too late. Eventually, South Africa had to bow out of the competition due to the inferior run rate. Bavuma will get many more chances, but if he is not able to make an impact with the bat, there are plenty of alternatives available for the management.
2) Reeza Hendricks
Matches: 4 || Runs: 56 || Average: 14 || Strike Rate: 101.82
Barring the knock against West Indies, Reeza Hendricks did not have much to cheer about in the T20 World Cup. He could manage an average of just 14 despite playing four games at the top of the order.
Reeza actually got good opportunities to stake a claim in the batting order. He has failed to grab it and the likes of Janneman Malan could come into the picture from future tournaments. Hence, it was a forgettable outing for the player.
3) Heinrich Klaasen
Matches: 2 || Runs: 13 || Average: 13 || Strike Rate: 100
It might be unfair to say that Heinrich Klaasen failed to grab all his chances. He batted only once in the competition and could not make a telling contribution. Having invested so much in him, the management would have expected better.
Nevertheless, Klaasen will get his chances going forward. He should ensure that he does well in the opportunities that he will be receiving in the future.
