Hendricks heading into last chance saloon

Another set of T20 Internationals for the Proteas provides further opportunities for many players looking to make their mark, but for Reeza Hendricks it is the entrance to the last chance saloon.

There is some degree of misfortune for Hendricks in all this because at the time he was in the best form of his career in 2022 but could not play at the World Cup, because of other top-order options.

Now that his output with the bat is on the slide there are several players pushing for the position he holds. 

Hendricks, 35, will not be part of the ODI series against Ireland, leaving the door ajar for Tony de Zorzi and Ryan Rickelton to stake a claim for the Champions Trophy.

Hendricks had a miserable series against Afghanistan, scoring 44 runs in three innings, and at a strike rate of 57.14, illustrating how tough he found the conditions. 

But those performances came on top of a poor series against the West Indies, where he made just one score of note, while this year he has managed one half-century in 15 T20 International innings.

There were mitigating circumstances because many of the pitches for the T20 World Cup were simply inadequate and, of course, the disappointment of losing so narrowly in the final must still rankle with Hendricks, as it does for so many of his teammates. 

But others are chomping at the bit to earn the opportunity to play at the next World Cup and in the short term even use these T20 Internationals to make a case for inclusion in the 50 overs format. 

Rickelton and Matthew Breetzke are just two in that category who will want to use the Irish series as a platform to further their international ambitions. 

For Hendricks, it will be difficult to keep them at bay, and he will be desperate to show his confidence is not completely shattered.

A good series backed up with a lengthy run of form domestically will ensure the selectors do not choose to cast him aside this summer. 

Rickelton and Breetzke have not yet made use of the few opportunities they have had, but just as they are competition for Hendricks, so they will realise that with the T20 Challenge starting in SA on Friday, others, notably Dewald Brevis, are desperate to rekindle their international careers too.

Skipper Aiden Markram made all the right noises this week about not underestimating Ireland, who lost three of their four World Cup group games earlier this year. 

They do not have the kind of bowling or batting resources that made Afghanistan such a tough side in similar conditions last week. 

Veteran skipper Paul Stirling, Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker loom as the main threats with the bat, while George Dockrell is a crafty left-arm spinner and Ben White will want to remind the Proteas of their problems against leg spin.

Both matches will be played in Abu Dhabi, with the first starting at 5.30pm on Friday and the second at the same time on Sunday.