South Africa at the 2023 Cricket World Cup: Team Preview

On paper, the South African squad is made of high-quality cricketers who can break games on their day. However, the ideal balance seems to be missing thanks to a lack of all-rounders. Injuries to Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala haven’t helped either. The recent 3-2 victory over Australia after coming from 0-2 behind, however, will give them confidence that despite all odds, they have the resilience and the firepower to go the distance.

South Africa’s ODI World Cup history

South Africa made their first World Cup appearance in 1992, and have participated every time since then. Yet, somehow, despite being the powerhouse that they have been at various stages across eight editions, they have never managed to reach the final, let alone winning it. Part of that is because they have won only one knockout match – the 2015 quarter-final.

At the same time, they reached the semi-finals in every alternate edition starting from 1992.

You can trace Klaasen’s explosion through the myriad franchise T20 competitions this year. He served up the goods for his home fans in the first edition of the SA20, mullering a hundred off 43 balls – brought up with a straight six. The IPL came next on the capitalist calendar march, where Klaasen smoked another century, with a strike-rate near the 200 mark.

Those assaults offered the clearest evidence of Klaasen’s dominance against spin, prompting AB de Villiers to declare him one of the best players of spin he’d ever seen. It’s simple, no fuss hitting: drop it a yard too short and watch it disappear over mid-wicket. Drop it in the slot and watch it crash into the sightscreen.

Read the piece on Heinrich Klaasen in the Wisden Cricket Monthly here.

South Africa at the 2023 Cricket World Cup: Predicted XI

Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi.

South Africa at the 2023 Cricket World Cup: Full fixtures list

October 6: South Africa v Sri Lanka, Delhi, 2 pm
October 10: South Africa v Australia, Lucknow, 2 pm
October 14: South Africa v Netherlands, Dharamshala, 2 pm
October 20: South Africa v England, Mumbai, 2 pm
October 23: South Africa v Bangladesh, Mumbai, 2 pm
October 27: South Africa v Pakistan, Chennai, 2 pm
October 31: South Africa v New Zealand, Pune, 2 pm
November 4: South Africa v India, Kolkata, 2 pm
November 11: South Africa v Afghanistan, Ahmedabad, 2 pm

A full preview of the 2023 World Cup appears in issue 71 of Wisden Cricket Monthly.