Proteas bowling in need of repairs as T20 World Cup looms

“This is a brutal environment as a bowler in which to come out and do your thing,” Albie Morkel said after another night in which bowlers were made to feel like second-class citizens in India.

Yes, it was only a warm-up match, so the intensity was 15% lower than it will be in the tournament and it took place at a venue that won’t be hosting matches in the T20 World Cup. Nevertheless, it was another demonstration of how batters will dominate — certainly the early stages of the competition.

SA and India shared a match aggregate of 450 runs in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday night. Anrich Nortjé bowled three overs and conceded 57 runs, while Kagsio Rabada went for 44, also in three overs.

“There is not a lot of bounce; it’s skiddy with the dew in the evening, so as a bowler you’ve got your work cut out,” said Morkel, a former Proteas all-rounder who is part of the national side’s coaching staff as a “special consultant”.

“We tried a few things but we’ll have to get back to the drawing board, get feedback from the bowlers and formulate plans.”

Batters have dominated games in India in recent months. Morkel cited South Africa’s series there at the end of 2025 and the recent five-match series featuring New Zealand, as examples. Last year the Proteas notched up totals of 200 or more twice and won once. One of those matches was at the Narendra Modi Stadium, where SA will play three group games in the World Cup. India scored 231 — and beat South Africa by 30 runs.

Scoring rates in the series between India and New Zealand two weeks ago were comfortably above 10 runs an over for the most part. The conditions will place extra demands on the bowlers and make the composition of the South African attack critical — especially for the group matches against Afghanistan and New Zealand.

Nortjé, for one, looks out of touch. The form he showed in the SA20 for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape — on surfaces more conducive to his bowling — has slipped in recent weeks. Wednesday night’s performance came less than a week after he conceded 59 runs in three overs against the West Indies — also on a batting friendly pitch in Centurion.

India’s batters are perfectly suited to taking advantage of the extra pace Nortjé and Rabada possess, deflecting and flicking many deliveries behind square on both sides of the wicket — and sometimes over their heads too. Five of Indian opener Ishan Kishan’s nine boundaries were scored behind him.

The only bowler not to cop a pounding was Lungi Ngidi. He went for just 23 runs in three overs, while Corbin Bosch delivered well at the death, conceding five runs in the 16th over and 12 in the 20th.

“Lungi possesses a really good slower ball, which works well in these conditions,” said Morkel.

Aiden Markram retired after scoring 38 off 19, and Ryan Rickelton made 44, while there were encouraging signs for Jason Smith who scored 35 off 23 after a nervous start. Tristan Stubbs, who is probably competing with Smith for a starting spot in the tournament, smashed four sixes in an unbeaten 45 off 21 balls.

South Africa struggled against India’s two spinners, Axar Patel and the prodigious Varun Chakravathy, which may offer encouragement to Afghanistan, who also possess a strong spin line-up.

SA start their World Cup on Monday against Canada in Ahmedabad.