A recent T20I century by Reeza Hendricks wasn’t enough to convince Proteas coach Rob Walter to select him in the ICC Champions Trophy squad. Photo: AFP
To put it mildly, Reeza Hendricks’ international career has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride.
From his very first ODI, where he struck a marvellous century against Sri Lanka, to being left out of the 2019 World Cup squad for an ageing Hashim Amla...
And how can we forget the 2021 T20 World Cup in Australia, where Hendricks was in the form of his life, but had to sit out the entire tournament and watch how captain Temba Bavuma limped from one game to the next?
But for Hendricks’ sins, everyone will only remember the last T20 World Cup in the US and Caribbean, where he struggled throughout the entire campaign as coach Rob Walter persisted with him at the top of the order despite SA20 Season 2 leading run-scorer Ryan Rickelton champing at the bit in the dug-out.
To Hendricks’ credit, he’s always found a way back, like when he recently struck a glorious maiden T20I century against Pakistan at Centurion.
On this occasion, it was however not enough to convince Walter to include him in the Proteas’ 15-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan next month.
Having experienced both sides of the coin so much already, Hendricks has merely accepted his Champions Trophy omission as “such is life, it’s cricket”.
“Obviously disappointing, but my expectation wasn’t too high,” Hendricks said after his stroke-filled 59 for MI Cape Town against Paarl Royals at Newlands on Monday.
“I wasn’t part of the last ODI squad, so the expectation wasn’t high obviously because of that.
“But yeah, I mean, obviously I would have loved to have gone, but disappointing in the end.
“But yeah, such is life. It’s cricket, and we move on. My focus is the SA20 now, so I’m looking forward to the next game I suppose, and we’ll take it moving forward.”
Hendricks would not have been the only one left disappointed to miss out the Pakistan trip, with fast bowler Gerald Coetzee also being overlooked.
Coetzee has not played since the Boxing Day Test due to a groin strain, but was expected to be fit when the Proteas head off to the Champions Trophy next month – and he played for the Joburg Super Kings in last night’s SA20 clash against the Durban’s Super Giants at Kingsmead.
He was also the Proteas’ leading wicket-taker at the 2023 World Cup in India.
“Gerald was a tough one because, you know, he’s ultimately done nothing wrong to not be selected,” Proteas white-ball coach Rob Walter said.
“But, you know, as I keep saying, the quality of the guys missing out gives you a good indication of where you’re at as a squad.
“And so, guys like Bjorn Fortuin have also bowled very well. We just didn’t feel the need for an extra spinner.”
In Hendricks’ absence, Walter has opted for Tony de Zorzi and Ryan Rickelton to likely partner captain Bavuma at the top of the order.
🚨SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT🚨
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) January 13, 2025
White-ball head coach Rob Walter has today announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which will be played in Pakistan from 19 February – 09 March.
One-Day International captain Temba Bavuma will lead the full-strength squad, which… pic.twitter.com/Bzt0rqjveG
However, Walter has also hinted that T20I captain Aiden Markram may yet move up to open the innings from his regular No 4 spot, to accommodate rising star Tristan Stubbs in the middle-order.
“I won’t give everything away, but look, obviously Temba and Tony have been at the top of the order, and both (have) done a really good job,” Walter said.
“There’s a potential for a few changes at the top of the order to give us a different balance of our side, which we may look into as we get closer to the tournament.
“Guys like Aiden Markram can be considered there in those top spots.
“And obviously, Rassie (van der Dussen) has been a stalwart at number three, so we’re hesitant to change his position, given the way he’s contributed there.” | Independent Media Sport