Ongama Gcwabe
PROTEAS T20 captain Aiden Markram will be reunited with Dolphins batting all-rounder Jason Smith, who earned his maiden Proteas call-up for the three-match T20 series against the West Indies.
Markram previously led Smith during the 2014 Under-19 World Cup, a tournament that South Africa won emphatically.
Another colossal performance by #Springboks stalwart Pieter-Steph du Toit in Perth💥#ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/hRoxoPaOgA
Back in those days, Smith could certainly hold up an end with ball in hand. However, having since turned pro, the medium-pace bowler has had very few opportunities to put his bowling skills to the test, especially in T20 cricket where there is very little room for trial and error when putting together a bowling attack.
Instead, it is his batting credentials that have seen the 29-year-old break into the T20 side and Markram aims not to tamper with Smith’s development.
“You definitely want him to keep doing his thing that got him selected. At no point in time are we ever going to try to change players and how they play,” Markram told the media yesterday.
“If anyone can offer a few overs here and there, I think we’ve seen in T20 cricket that that will always be welcome. It’s always a skill that we expect him to keep trying to develop and grow.
“But what he has done with the bat is certainly what’s caught our eye the most and he’s got some proper X-factor about him.
“We’ve played together and known each other for quite a few years. It’s great to see Jason really do what we all know he’s capable of doing,” he added.
Alongside Smith is 18-year-old fast bowler Kwena Maphaka, who is also in line for an international debut during the three-match series in the Caribbean.
With most of the household names being rested for this series, Markram will lead a largely inexperienced T20 side.
"It would be fantastic to get a series win and get one back, they've been doing well against us recently. Sometimes the win is everything," – Aiden Markram
Markram told the media that winning the series is of utmost importance, especially given that the West Indies whitewashed South Africa in May.
However, the bigger picture for the upcoming series is to continue to widen the selection pool by blooding in youngsters and giving opportunities to deserving players.
With the attacking style of play in international T20 cricket having long infiltrated the South African domestic circuit, Markram expects all his players, experienced or not, to adapt to the brand of cricket that is expected in international cricket.
"It would be fantastic to get a series win and get one back, they've been doing well against us recently. Sometimes the win is everything," he said.
"But on other occasions, if you look at the growing of our options as a squad from a selection point of view, a lot of good can still come out of a series that might not go your way.
"The T20 way nowadays is pretty straightforward. I think all the players understand where the game is moving so I can't see that being too much of a challenge.
"Also, you look at the selected personnel having the ability to play that way, I think we've done that with this squad as well.
"For them, this whole tour is a big learning curve, especially for the newer guys. Understanding the environment, getting a feel of international cricket and ultimately letting that be a stepping stone to hopefully permanent features in our team and putting in match-winning performances together for South Africa," he added.
The Proteas T20I squad arrived in Trinidad yesterday and will have a few days to train before the series gets underway in Tarouba where all three fixtures will be staged.