Walter receives welcome boost ahead of critical World Cup assignment

In a fillip for new Proteas limited-overs coach Rob Walter, his boss Enoch Nkwe, said all the players — including those contracted to the Indian Premier League (IPL) —  would be available for the two crucial one-day internationals against the Netherlands at the end of the month.

Those two matches will determine the Proteas’ fate for the 2023 World Cup and there was a real threat that Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram and Anrich Nortjé, among others, would not be available because of the IPL, which starts on March 31.

Nkwe, the director of cricket, confirmed on Tuesday, that, after what were occasionally tough negotiations with officials in India, all the IPL-contracted players will be available for the two matches against the Dutch, which will be played on March 31 and April 2.

A loss for Sri Lanka in one of their three ODIs against New Zealand — a series that takes place a few days before the Proteas face the Dutch — would mean that victory for Temba Bavuma’s side in both matches would secure automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup in India.

“We have been engaged with the IPL and the BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India] as well. The selected players will be available for the two ODIs,” Nkwe said.

Walter, who has spent the past five years coaching in New Zealand, will naturally be keeping a close eye on that series. “I’m a bit of a cricket nuffy. There will be a couple of guys who I’ve coached along the way who I will always watch with interest to see how they are going along,” he said.

“Hopefully the Black Caps do what they need to do and secure that series. Then we still need to take care of our business. Everything else becomes irrelevant if we don’t take care of that.”

While Bavuma will remain the ODI captain until the end of the current World Cup cycle, he was dropped from the Proteas’ T20 side for a three-match series with the West Indies, with Walter handing Aiden Markram the captaincy in that format.

“Temba missing out is purely a T20-based decision. My job now is to work with him to get him back into the side,” said Walter.

Markram captained the Proteas in five ODIs against India in 2018. However that decision, by then national selection convener Linda Zondi, was widely viewed as premature and could have set Markram back a few years in terms of his development.  

“Aiden’s matured a lot as a player and leader since then,” Walter said. “He has been a leader within the group for a long time and it seemed a logical progression for him to take over the reins.”

There were only a few changes to the squad that played at the T20 World Cup last year; besides Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj was not picked, while Sisanda Magala was added.

The one-day squad, which will play three matches against the West Indies — which are not part of the Super League 2023 qualification process — sees first-time call ups for Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs. Ryan Rickelton, previously part of the one-day squads, but not involved in the recent ODI series with England, makes a return, while Tabraiz Shamsi has been dropped, with Bjorn Fortuin back in the mix.

Heinrich Klaasen and Wayne Parnell will not play in the first two matches of the series, while Nortje and Rabada have been given that series off as part of load management plans.

The ODIs will be played between March 16 and 21, with the T20Is following from March 25 to 28.

Meanwhile, Walter appointed JP Duminy as the limited-overs side’s batting coach, while Rory Kleinveldt, who played four Tests and 10 ODIs, will oversee the preparation of the bowlers on a part-time basis during the matches against the West Indies.