With just a few weeks to go until the T20 World Cup, does the Proteas T20I series loss to the West Indies really matter in any context?
The selection of the squad suggests that management were willing to sacrifice results to blood younger or newer players in an international setting and get out-of-sorts players back in shape for the T20 World Cup.
Against that backdrop, the series loss to the West Indies doesn’t constitute a problem or a black mark against the name of coach Rob Walter.
Walter shouldn’t shoulder the blame for a loss in a series that clearly conflicts with both the IPL and preparation for the T20 World Cup.
The coach would be forgiven for thinking he has been set up to fail by getting a blank slate and full control of his team selection just as Shukri Conrad was sold down the river as the Test coach who had to take an under-strength Proteas team to New Zealand for a World Test Championship series against the Black Caps, which was supposed to matter.
The WTC was set up to lend context and interest to bilateral cricket but Cricket South Africa hasn’t paid that much mind in their calculations.
CSA are being led by finances more than anything else and to an extent you cannot blame them for that as administrators’ success is often measured in those terms.
Financial realities are brought home on cricket constantly as we have seen with the juggernaut that is the IPL taking up the cream of the crop when it comes to cricket’s playing resources and with the SA20.
As for why the Proteas are understrength in the West Indies to face a host side that has also been depleted, you can look no further than the IPL.
While the ECB have flexed their muscle on the IPL, recalling their players to play a T20I series against Pakistan and upsetting their skipper Jos Buttler in the process, CSA has accepted the reality that there is no winning in a battle with the franchise showpiece.
There is an argument to be made that the Proteas didn’t take their strongest available team to Jamaica for this three-match series, but there was value to be gleaned from the engagement outside of results that would only have a small impact on the ICC T20I rankings with nothing else really on the line.
The series has seen some good performances from youngsters and fringe players that could influence squad selection in the future.
For one thing, there will be questions about why someone like Anrich Nortje has made the World Cup squad ahead of the likes of Andile Phehlukwayo and Lungi Ngidi.
Gerald Coetzee has shown that even though he can be expensive, he will usually pick up one or two big wickets in a match and he has X-factor in spades.
Nortje has looked flat and far from his best in this series and the Proteas risk taking a weakened attack to the World Cup.
They will be far happier that Quinton de Kock has shown signs that he might be emerging from his funk.
The misuse of Ryan Rickelton as a No 3 suggests that the Proteas see him as the likely reserve batter at the T20 World Cup.
Aiden Markram will be back for the T20 World Cup and the Proteas should favour him as their No 3 with either Heinrich Klaasen or Tristan Stubbs promoted to No 4 to allow the team to field three finishers.
David Miller hasn’t looked sensational recently but the Proteas could use him and No 5 or No 6 and that makes sure they can field the trio of Stubbs, Klaasen and Miller to give this team ballistic launching power.
Weirdly for a team from South Africa, the problem in this side is likely to come from the fast bowlers with many of the chosen players not quite in the best form.
The series loss against the West Indies clearly doesn’t matter that much but the benefits will only be evident in the long term, especially if the Proteas misfire at the T20 World Cup.
Unfortunately, if you had to wager on what will cost the Proteas at the T20 World Cup it will probably come down to a bad over or two from the quicks.
