THE TIME has come for prodigies Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee to lead the Proteas bowling attack in the absence of the rested Kagiso Rabada and the injured pair of Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortjé.
The two 23-year-old quicks are the most experienced in the current fast bowling group with Ottniel Baartman and Nandre Burger yet to debut for South Africa.
“It’s a bit of a bummer that Lungs (is injured), with KG obviously being rested, Ana (Nortje) still out injured and the fact that we can’t have them here, it’s a big miss for us,” captain Aiden Markram told the media on Saturday.
“But we have Marco (Jansen) and Gerald (Coetzee) to, although they are still young, still take on that extra bit of responsibility and lead the attack for us. We’ll be looking forward to that and seeing that from them.
“Naturally with a few guys missing out there are opportunities for new faces to get a run. It’s always exciting, I think. You can be quite fixated on things right now and thinking straight to the World Cup but if you look over to the next few years, how the team might possibly change if guys decide to move on, it’s a great opportunity for them to get a foot in the door.
“I’ve worked with Ottniel (Baartman) at Sunrisers in the SA20. I loved the way he goes about his bowling and the way he thinks.
“Hopefully those guys can enjoy the opportunities that they get without feeling any extra pressure to perform at a massive level. It’s more about enjoyment, gaining experience from the opportunity and still going out there to compete and try to win games for the country,” Markram said.
What's a Durban visit without a rickshaw ride?
Lol, well our 🇿🇦⚔️🇮🇳 T20i captains wouldn't know.Kwaze kwamnandi eDeben🔥. Get your tickets for tonight’s game on: https://t.co/Q3zNMhgarO#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/Q383ZMothN
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) December 10, 2023
This will be the first time South Africa cross the boundary rope for some competitive cricket following the World Cup semi-final exit to Australia last month. Coetzee, in particular, looked the most devastated following that semi-final loss, but Markram remarked on the youngsters’ rejuvenated spirit.
Having also tied the knot since returning home from India, Coetzee will be up and running this afternoon when South Africa face India in the first T20I at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban.
“It was tough for him. As we all know he wears his heart on his sleeve, he’s a massive competitor and I think the world saw that he gave his all and some more,” said Markram.
“It would’ve been tough for him to deal with but he’s been good the last few days and is back up for it. For him it’s a new series and looking forward to those things that he can do on the field for us.”
The first T20I gets under way at 4pm.
Proteas T20I squad against India: Aiden Markram (captain, Momentum Multiply Titans), Ottniel Baartman (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Matthew Breetzke (Dafabet Warriors), Nandre Burger (Western Province), Gerald Coetzee (Momentum Multiply Titans, 1st and 2nd T20Is), Donovan Ferreira (Momentum Multiply Titans), Reeza Hendricks (DP World Lions), Marco Jansen (Dafabet Warriors, 1st and 2nd T20Is), Heinrich Klaasen (Momentum Multiply Titans), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), David Miller (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Beauran Hendricks (Western Province), Andile Phehlukwayo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Tabraiz Shamsi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Tristan Stubbs (Dafabet Warriors), and Lizaad Williams (Momentum Multiply Titans).
