Proteas coach Mark Boucher has backed captain Temba Bavuma and another key player, Quinton de Kock, to find form on the six-match tour of India. If the opening pair don’t repay the coach’s faith with a series of solid performances, Boucher may be forced to revise the combination as well as the batting line-up ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia.

The countdown to the global tournament has begun. Boucher has selected his 15-man squad, and the current six-game tour to India – three T20Is followed by three one- day internationals – should give the players an opportunity to find form and momentum before the games that truly matter.

The way the players perform, as individuals and combinations, is paramount at this stage. Some will hope to build on what they achieved on the recent tour to England, whereas others – Bavuma and De Kock in particular – will use these matches to regain their batting mojo.

In the first T20I staged in Thiruvananthapuram on 20 September, the Proteas batters failed on most counts. De Kock was out for 1, and Bavuma, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller and Tristan Stubbs were all dismissed for ducks.

The Proteas slumped to nine for five inside three overs, and it was only thanks to Aiden Markram (25) and bowlers Keshav Maharaj (41) and Wayne Parnell (21) that the visitors posted a three-figure total (106 for eight). Not for the first time, the bowlers spared the side humiliation, if not a heavy defeat.

Pressure is mounting on Boucher ahead of the T20 World Cup campaign, with the group matches set to start on 24 October. Though Boucher has already decided to step down after the tournament, he will be determined to finish his tenure on a high – and to become the first Proteas coach to win a World Cup in any format. That success, of course, will hinge on his batting selections.

England tour highlighted batting options

The Proteas have enjoyed some success in the shortest format in 2022. They drew the series staged in India this past June 2-2. They beat England 2-1 and Ireland 2-0 in the series staged in the United Kingdom.

Boucher experimented with his top six over the course of those matches in an attempt to strike the right balance. He certainly found some answers in the games against England and Ireland.

Opener Reeza Hendricks made the most of Bavuma’s injury-enforced absence, smashing four half centuries in five games. The decision to recall Rossouw proved inspired, as the explosive No 3 scored 131 runs over three games against England at a strike rate of 160.

Newcomer Tristan Stubbs made a statement when he hit 72 off 28 balls in the series opener.

On the back of those performances, all three were included in a Proteas World Cup squad packed with power-hitting options.

The withdrawal of Rassie van der Dussen because of a finger injury, however, has forced the side to travel to India for a preliminary tour with a dearth of players who can fulfil the anchor role. Bavuma is certainly in that mould, but is horribly out of form.

Boucher has the option of fielding Hendricks – a well-balanced player in white-hot touch – but at the expense of Bavuma, the captain, or De Kock, a rare talent with the potential to win a match single-handedly.

Opener woes have placed Proteas on back foot

It’s not often that five of the top-six batters fail as they did in Thiruvananthapuram on 28 September. That said, the Proteas have made a habit of starting poorly in 2022, particularly when Bavuma and De Kock have been tasked with opening the batting.

Taking the first T20I against India into account, Bavuma has averaged 12.20 at a strike rate of 97 over five games. Some critics have questioned his value in this format, especially after he went unsold in the recent SA20 auction.

De Kock has escaped similar criticism despite the fact that his T20I stats for the 2022 season are even worse than Bavuma’s – an average of 8.50 and a strike rate of 96 over a period of eight games, with a high score of 22.

Both will travel to the T20 World Cup, and there is certainly a chance that both will deliver in their respective roles.

But looking at the make-up of the Proteas squad, it’s clear that Boucher has to consider other options.

Tough calls loom for Boucher

Bavuma, De Kock, Rossouw, Markram, Miller and Stubbs all featured in the tour opener in Thiruvananthapuram, and it’s possible that Boucher will back that top-six combination for the big games at the T20 World Cup.

But can Boucher afford to bench Hendricks – the team’s top run-scorer in 2022 – if De Kock and Bavuma continue to fail?

One can’t see Boucher dropping his skipper at this late stage, but if De Kock finds form and Bavuma does not, the coach will need to take action. Bavuma could move down the order and occupy an anchor role in the absence of Van der Dussen, but that may result in another player – possibly Stubbs – sitting out.

An argument could also be made for Heinrich Klaasen’s inclusion, as he has scored the second-most runs this season – 202 at an average of 28.86 and at an impressive strike rate of 162 – and could wear the gloves in the absence of De Kock, should the veteran be left out.

Again, there’s no shortage of outright hitting ability in the current squad. But as seen in the first match against India recently, there is always going to be room in the line-up for a player who can occupy the anchor role and adjust to the situation. Van der Dussen was the man prior to injury. Now another, perhaps Markram or even Hendricks, will need to fill the void.

The need for this type of player may also temper Bavuma’s approach at the top of the order. It’s a difficult situation for the skipper, who has struggled to score any runs of late and, in the wake of the disappointment at the SA20 auction, may be especially determined to come out swinging in India.

The irony is that a Proteas side stacked with so many power-hitters may require Bavuma to be Bavuma – a batter with the mental resilience to bat long and deep, and to guide his side to big totals. DM168

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.