Ismail and Chetty return as South Africa announce World T20 squad

With the World Twenty-20 right around the corner, South Africa have announced their 15 player squad for the tournament that will be held in the Caribbean. Veterans Shabnim Ismail and Trisha Chetty return to the squad that is very similar to the one that already travelled to the Caribbean to face the West Indies earlier.



South Africa have retained young guns Saarah Smith, Tumi Sekhukhune and Robyn Searle that all impressed in their recently concluded series against the hosts of the tournament. Smith narrowly missed out on a hat-trick in the Twenty-20 leg of the tour while Sekhukhune bowled consistently and economically throughout.



Seasoned internationals Ismail and Chetty return to the squad after they both had withdrawn from the West Indian tour at the last moment. Seamer Ismail had to tend to a family emergency whereas wicketkeeper-batter Chetty missed out due to a disc protrusion on her lower back. Her return means she will assume the responsibility with the gloves and Lizelle Lee, who took over the responsibility behind the stumps in her absence, will probably be the backup keeper now.



The South African's boast a strong batting line-up consisting of Lee and Laura Wolvaardt at the top. The two found their footing on the West Indian soil towards the end of the tour and will feel confident in their ability to play on those pitches now that they have had time to acclimatize to them. Down the order will be skipper Dane van Niekerk, Chetty, Sune Luus, Mignon du Preez and Chloe Tryon, giving great depth to the side.



With the ball, South Africa's premier pace bowlers Ismail and Marizanne Kapp will be pivotal. They also have upcoming players Zintle Mali and Sekhukhune to further add to the bowling. Ayabonga Khaka misses out due to an injury.



On the pitches in the Caribbean, the spin will play an important role, as signified by the abundance of spinners in New Zealand, England and Australia's squads. South Africa too have a few spinners in their arsenal, namely van Niekerk, Luus, Raisibe Ntozakhe and Saarah Smith. Interestingly, we saw both Lee and du Preez have a bowl in South Africa's tour earlier so, we may see them being given the responsibility with the ball again.



Overall, South Africa have a well-rounded squad that has good batting and bowling depth. For them, the key will be performing consistently with the bat, which is something they struggled with on their tour. However, the fact that they ended up drawing the Twenty-20 series against the defending champions will give them a big confidence boost heading into the tournament and that might just be the push they need to go far in the competition. Can South Africa take home the trophy after their heartbreaking exit from the World Cup last year?



Full Fixtures here



Squad:



Dané van Niekerk (c), Chloe Tryon, Lizelle Lee, Suné Luus, Shabnim Ismail, Masabata Klaas, Mignon du Preez, Marizanne Kapp, Laura Wolvaardt, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Zintle Mali, Robyn Searle, Tumi Sekhukhune, Saarah Smith, Trisha Chetty