2024 runners-up South Africa will open their 2026 T20 World Cup campaign against Canada on February 9, carrying strong momentum from a dominant run in international cricket, highlighted by their ICC World Test Championship triumph last year and the home Test in India. This form, combined with growing depth and confidence, firmly places them among the teams to watch. South Africa are drawn in Group D along with Afghanistan and New Zealand, Canada and the United Arab Emirates round out the lineup.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!For former South Africa captain and SA20 league commissioner Graeme Smith, Tristan Stubbs’ recent performances could have a significant impact on the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Smith, who was speaking in a media interaction facilitated by SA20 following the end of the league’s fourth season, pointed to South Africa’s growing familiarity with subcontinental conditions.
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“The exposure is extremely different now,” he said. “Players spend a huge amount of time in the subcontinent through the IPL or the tour.“None of these players are strangers to it. They’ve probably spent years of their lives playing there now. Looking at the squad, I’d go into the World Cup expecting them to do really well.”Smith highlighted South Africa’s batting depth as a clear strength, with several players capable of winning matches on their own.
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“There’s a lot of firepower,” he said. “There are match winners.What will matter, he stressed, is balance.“It will be interesting to see what combinations Shukri and the team come up with,” Smith said. “Some pitches are tough to defend, some wickets play flat and then your bowlers are really tested.”“So the bowling combinations will be interesting, but there is enough in the squad to go deep into the tournament.Stubbs’ form dipped early in the SA20 and he was initially left out of South Africa’s World T20 squad. Injuries to Donovan Ferreira and Tony de Zorzi changed the picture and opened the door for him and Ryan Rickelton to be recalled. It took Stubbs time to find his rhythm, but Smith felt the final over represented more than just runs.“We’ve seen his strength, the experience he’s got in the IPL, in South Africa and in the SA20,” Smith said. “He’s got it. That shift would give him a world of confidence. He’s a confident player anyway, but he’d grow.”Smith also pointed to the pressure Stubbs has been under in recent months.“He’s had to deal with a few disappointments over the last six months,” he said. “I always like it when a player under pressure shows his worth on a big stage like a final. Hopefully he will take that feeling, form and confidence to the World Cup.”The fourth edition of the SA20 ended on a high, cementing its rise as one of the top cricket leagues in the world. The Eastern Cape Sunrisers claimed their third title in four finals after overcoming the Pretoria Capitals at Newlands, with Stubbs making a definitive unbeaten 63 under pressure.“I thought he played it in the final,” Smith said after the season ended. “He rebuilt the innings and then really showed his ability to play the game.Stubbs’ knock anchored a tricky chase of 157 and went through an unbroken 111-run stand with Matthew Breetzke. The partnership turned a stalled chase into a controlled finish, capped by back-to-back sixes in the final over. It was also Stubbs’ first T20 half-century in 51 innings since August 2024.“There was a lot going on,” Smith said. “It was the first time he captained the team, people talked about his pace and were frustrated that he didn’t move faster. But the final is about reading the moments and he read it perfectly.Smith is also keen to see South Africa utilize Dewald Brevis, particularly his position in the batting order. Brevis finished as the second highest goalscorer, playing for the Pretoria Capitals. He scored a century in the final of the tournament but ultimately failed to win it for his side.“We saw his journey growing up,” Smith said. “He struggled early, the tactics were against him, then he figured it out. They moved him up the order a little bit, even in the final. He got more responsibility and came on.”“Do you hit him at three or four or do you keep him at five or six? That will be interesting,” Smith added.
