There has been little time to pause after the SA20 final, with several players quickly switching from franchise duty to international cricket as South Africa prepare for their final T20 World Cup tune-up against the West Indies.
Less than 48 hours after Sunday’s SA20 title decider, seven players involved in the final are set to feature in a three-match T20 international series between the Proteas and the West Indies. The series was originally scheduled for five matches but was reduced to three to avoid clashing with the T20 World Cup support period.
Both teams arrive with unfinished business from the previous global tournament. South Africa reached the final before suffering a narrow seven-run defeat to India, while the West Indies were eliminated in the Super Eights after losing to the Proteas. With the World Cup starting next week in India, the upcoming matches offer a final opportunity to refine combinations and build momentum.
South Africa’s recent T20 form has been inconsistent. The Proteas lost 12 of their 18 matches in 2025 and failed to win any of their five series last year, largely due to injuries and player unavailability as individuals prioritised other formats. Despite the experimental nature of the series, all-format coach Shukri Conrad will still be keen to register a series win.
The Proteas management have opted to rest Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen and Tristan Stubbs for Tuesday’s opening T20 in Paarl. All three played key roles for Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Sunday’s SA20 final victory over Pretoria Capitals.
Their absence has opened the door for Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Eathan Bosch, who have been called up as temporary replacements for the first match of the series.
Proteas T20 captain Aiden Markram said he was particularly pleased for Stubbs, who produced a match-winning performance in the final.
“He’s one of the guys in the team everyone wants to see do well. He’s that sort of person, and he grafts hard, he’s the ultimate pro.
And when you put the hard work in and don’t get the results you can get quite down on yourself, even your peers feel sorry for you. Then to come out and play a knock like that last night [Sunday], you can only be happy for him. It’s great to do it in final.
And when you do well in big games you take that confidence to the next one.”
Stubbs struck an unbeaten 63 off 41 balls, while Matthew Breetzke contributed 68 off 49, as the Sunrisers chased down a target of 159 with balls to spare.
On the losing side was Capitals captain Keshav Maharaj, who will now rejoin the Proteas setup for the World Cup.
Markram acknowledged the disappointment Maharaj would be feeling following the final.
“As a person he’s an all-in type of guy, and it would have hurt him. He’s not an emotional kind of guy.
It’s just that he cares and puts a lot of love into it, then you come up just short, and the way the game unfolded as well, I understand why he’s hurting.
When I see him I’ll put an arm around him, get him riled up. I chatted to him a bit last night and said the trophy you want to win is the one in a few weeks time and that’s what we’ll go for now, and he’s all in for that.
We’ll try get him over last night as quick as we can and get him looking forward to the world cup as quick as we can.”
South Africa squad vs West Indies (T20 series)
Aiden Markram (capt), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Rubin Hermann, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Eathan Bosch
