South Africa

There will be high expectations among the fans of the host nation that South African captain Graeme Smith will be lifting the ICC World Twenty20 trophy in Johannesburg on September 24. Smith, who leads a talented and powerful side, will be looking to overcome the disappointment of its CWC 2007 semi-final display against Australia where its performance didn’t live up to expectations.

Jacques Kallis, with 485 runs, and Smith, with 433 runs, both had excellent tournaments in the Caribbean with the bat, although Kallis and AB de Villiers were the only players to register centuries for South Africa at the event.

Andrew Hall and Charl Langeveldt were the leading wicket-takers for South Africa, which was the only team to have players register five-wicket hauls during the course of the CWC. Hall took 5-18 against England, the best figures of the tournament, Langeveldt took 5-39 against Sri Lanka and Andre Nel 5-45 versus Bangladesh.

Surprisingly, however, the South African selectors did not find room in the ICC World Twenty20 squad for Kallis, Hall, Langeveldt or Nel, rather choosing players that have had successful domestic Pro20 campaigns such as Gulam Bodi, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander.

In the ICC World Twenty20 the South Africans face a challenging group, which contains two other ICC full member countries, West Indies and Bangladesh, giving Smith’s side a chance to gain revenge for their 67-run defeat at the hands of Bangladesh at the CWC 2007.

With more experience of international Twenty20 cricket than other nation, a thriving domestic Twenty20 competition, and home advantage, there are plenty of things in favour of the South Africans doing well at the event.

However, they do have a mixed record in Twenty20 cricket, losing their first International in October 2005 in Johannesburg to New Zealand by five wickets, despite an excellent 61 off 43 balls by Smith.

South Africa then recorded a defeat and a victory over Australia in early 2006, before losing a home match against India in December 2006 by six wickets, with just one ball of the match remaining.

In February 2007 it enjoyed a crushing 10-wicket win over Pakistan, reaching its target of 130 with 8.3 overs remaining, with Smith scoring 71 off 40 balls.

South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Gulam Bodi, Loots Bosman, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Justin Kemp, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Vernon Philander, Shaun Pollock, Thandi Tshabalala, Johan van der Wath.