Proteas white-ball coach Rob Walter
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- Proteas coach Rob Walter and captain Temba Bavuma are not perturbed with their batting depth.
- The Proteas selected only one all-rounder in their 15-man squad for next month’s Cricket World Cup in India.
- Walter highlighted Sisanda Magala’s ability with the bat and is eager to mould Gerald Coetzee into an all-rounder.
- For more sports news, go to the News24 Sport front page.
Proteas white-ball coach Rob Walter and skipper Temba Bavuma are not too concerned over South Africa’s World Cup squad’s batting depth.
This comes after Walter only picked one all-rounder, Marco Jansen, in his 15-man group for next month’s Cricket World Cup in India.
The Proteas side-stepped experienced Wayne Parnell, who continues his recovery from a left shoulder injury.
Proteas World Cup squad:
Temba Bavuma (captain), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen
Skipper Bavuma will lead the side and is one of the eight players who’ve received their maiden World Cup call-ups.
With only one all-rounder selected, South Africa’s lower-order batting depth has been put into question.
“We’ve got a backup batter in the group,” Walter told reporters in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.
“I back all of them, they’re very versatile as well. If someone was knocked out through injury, then we certainly have the replacements to come into India.
“I didn’t feel that we needed to carry an extra batter in the squad at the expense of the team.”
Bavuma says that the Proteas top order is not concerned about the lower-order’s inability to bat.
“I don’t think it’ll curtail us as batters,” said Bavuma.
“It’s something we are aware of as a team but I think maybe it just calls out on a bit of smartness from us.
“In approaching the games as batters, it will all be the same. We’re always looking to be positive. We’re always looking for opportunities to turn the game into our favour, to back our skill and game sense and do that consistently over a period.”
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Walter hopes to bring seamer Sisanda Magala’s batting prowess to the fore and hinted at moulding fast bowler Gerald Coetzee into a potential all-rounder.
“The number seven spot is key in 50-over cricket. For me, it’s assessing what the combined capabilities of seven, eight and nine, and their capability with the bat,” said Walter.
“If I look at Marco, we’ve seen him play some pivotal knocks at number seven already and he’s only getting better.
“Sisanda’s capability is sometimes undervalued. He’s done it for the Lions time and time again, and under pressure. That’s something that we’ve been working tirelessly on, is his batting capability.
“You also got guys like Gerald, you saw a little bit of it in the T20s and he’s got a great understanding of what the game requires from him,” he continued.
“He’s got a really good skill set and certainly, he’s someone who will be looking to grow from an all-round capability point of view.
“We’ve put a huge amount of emphasis on their batting and ability to contribute at the back end of our batting line-up.
“If you’ve got those guys that can bat down to number nine or 10, it certainly lengthens the batting line-up significantly.”
The Proteas make their final preparations for the World Cup with a five-match ODI series against Australia, starting on Thursday in Bloemfontein.
Play on Thursday starts at 13:00.