SA’s T20 International series triumph in Namibia gave stand-in captain Bjorn Fortuin plenty to celebrate, but it was the number of players putting their hands up that really caught the stand-in skipper’s eye — and made the selectors’ job that much harder.
The Proteas recovered from defeat by Namibia in their opening match to beat Zimbabwe twice, then overcame Namibia in their second encounter before claiming the FNB T20 International Series on Sunday, with several players making significant contributions along the way.
The variety of match-winners was perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the campaign as they continued to develop a young side, the left-arm off-spinner said as they look ahead to three 50-over matches against Namibia from Wednesday and will see Fortuin continue in his role as skipper.
“The most important thing is winning. The type of culture we want to build within a young side, especially, is [to have] that winning mentality, and then [having] different guys contributing to that as well is another bonus,” Fortuin said.
“We don’t want to be one of those teams that’s too reliant and too dependent on three or four players.
“So it’s nice to see guys win the game from different positions in the team, different situations in the game as well.
”Not only is that good for their development, but it should hold the team in good stead going into the future.”
The Proteas’ response to their opening defeat was particularly pleasing for Fortuin, who felt the team initially became distracted from its own strengths before gradually asserting itself.
“The main focus was ourselves and our own ability, our own quality,” he said.
“If you look throughout the squad, there’s massive amounts of quality and talent and ability, regardless of the inexperience.”
Fortuin admitted they “got carried away a bit” in the first game, allowing the intensity and willingness to experiment to dictate their approach.
It was only once they settled into the tournament that the Proteas began playing with greater authority and consistency.
“Once we sort of got a foothold in the comp and we started asserting our own authority and playing towards our strengths, we just saw the team go from strength to strength,” he said.
Among those to benefit were debutants Eathan Bosch and Duan Jansen, who Fortuin praised for how they handled the pressure of international cricket.
“For them to come in, make their debuts, it’s a massive honour, first of all,” he said.
“And then for them to perform the way that they did showed massive guts, showed massive mental fortitude in the way that they dealt with the pressure of international cricket.”
There were also significant contributions from established young talents Dewald Brevis [player of the series] and Lhuan-dre Pretorius [batter of the series], while Jordan Hermann made his mark in the final.
Fortuin believes the tournament has given the national side valuable evidence of the resources available beyond their established core.
For Fortuin, the series represented his first opportunity to captain SA, a challenge he described as one he relishes.
Meanwhile, SA have made two changes for the three-match ODI series against Namibia, with Pretorius and Andile Simelane ruled out through injury.
Corbin Bosch and Matthew Breetzke have been called up as their replacements and will join the squad on Tuesday, ahead of Wednesday’s opener.
ODI squad to face Namibia: Bjorn Fortuin [capt], Corbin Bosch, Eathan Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Connor Esterhuizen, Jordan Hermann, Rubin Hermann, Duan Jansen, Kwena Maphaka, Nqobani Mokoena, Nqaba Peter, Jason Smith, and Prenelan Subrayen.
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