South Africa have revealed a shocking squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, as they have sidelined Tristan Stubbs, the rising star, for the marquee tournament and have instead made several stunning inclusions.
Currently, all South African players are busy playing in the country’s franchise league, the SA20, which is a massive opportunity for the players to polish their T20I skills ahead of the massive tournament. After this, they will be hosting the West Indies for a three-match T20I series and then head to India, where the campaign starts against Canada on the 9th of February.
South Africa, the runners-up of the T20 World Cup 2024, are part of a challenging group, as they have been placed alongside Canada, Afghanistan, New Zealand, and the UAE in the group stage.
Why was Tristan Stubbs not picked for the T20 World Cup 2026?
South Africa have included many names who will be playing their first-ever T20 World Cup, which includes players like Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, and Jason Smith, and all-rounders George Linde and Donovan Ferreira. However, seasoned stars like Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs have been snubbed.
“We have had to make some big calls, but we feel this group is the strongest and has every chance of succeeding in India and Sri Lanka,” selection convener Patrick Moroney said in a statement.
While the reason to leave behind Rickelton would have been due to Quinton de Kock’s return to the national side and his immense experience in the game, the theory for Stubbs remained shady.
According to Moroney’s claims, Stubbs has not been named as he doesn’t fit in the power-packed middle order comprising young Brevis and experienced David Miller, alongside Donovan Ferreira.
“On Stubbs, in theory what we’ve really looked for there is to make sure that we have that attacking middle order where the left-handed David Miller slots in for us ideally and then with [Dewald] Brevis and [Donovan] Ferreira complementing him on either side is our general plan,” said Moroney.
South Africa’s Racial Selection Policy Explained
South Africa have followed a long history of racial standards while selecting teams, as they have been known to use quota systems in order to enhance the participation of players based on colour. The system was controversial, and the non-selection of Black African players had led to several controversies against the CSA.
They have now set a target to ensure racial diversity, which involves the inclusion of at least six players of colour for a season, with a minimum of two Black Africans. After the shift in strategies from late 2024, CSA has sidelined racial quotas and has instead focused on player performances and skillsets to ensure them a position within the national cricket team.
A clear depiction of this can be seen in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup squad, where 4 Black Africans have been named in the squad, as they deserved a spot in the national team.
South Africa Squad for the T20 World Cup 2026
The T20 World Cup will be the first ICC tournament to be played under all-format coach Shukri Conrad, who recently took charge. In the series against India last month, Conrad had some remarkable success in the red-ball format, but his team lost the white-ball tour, despite some remarkable fightbacks.
The South African staff for the T20s remains the same with Ashwell Prince (batting coach), Piet Botha (bowling coach), and Kruger van Wyk (fielding coach). They will be joined by former South African all-rounder Albie Morkel as a specialist T20 consultant for the World Cup.
South Africa Squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Aiden Markram (capt), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Quinton de Kock (wk), Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, and Jason Smith