Smith or Stubbs? Proteas weigh No 6 call

Captain Aiden Markram says the Proteas are almost locked in for the T20 World Cup opener against Canada – except for the No 6 position.

Speaking ahead of Monday’s Group D clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Markram confirmed that a call between Jason Smith and Tristan Stubbs has yet to be made.

“We’ve got a fairly good idea of what our team looks like, although we’ll announce it at the toss,” Markram said. “The No 6 spot is still between Jason and Tristan. Both are hitting the ball really well and showing good signs, so whichever way we go, we’re picking a guy in form.”

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While the focus is firmly on internal execution, Markram was quick to warn against complacency against lesser-known teams, including Canada.

“I didn’t know too much about Canada coming into the World Cup,” he admitted, “but it’s important to do your homework. You look at their players, their strengths and weaknesses, and I’ve definitely got a much better understanding now.

“We’ve already seen some close games in this competition and it doesn’t look like there are going to be any straightforward or easy matches. If we put a really good game of cricket together, we give ourselves a good chance of a good result.”

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The Proteas head into the tournament buoyed by last year’s World Test Championship triumph over Australia at Lord’s, a result Markram believes removed a psychological hurdle.

“The WTC trophy definitely gave us belief and confidence, and got the monkey off our back, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy now. We still have to be on it.”

South Africa are grouped with Canada, New Zealand, Afghanistan and the UAE, with only the top two teams advancing to the Super Eights.