South Africa want promising batsmen to show potential on international stage
South Africa have high hopes for powerful teenage slogger Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dewald Brevis, the prolific 22-year-old run scorer who first competed in the Indian Premier League three years ago, as they continue preparations for next year's T20 World Cup.
"The last thing you want to do is to clip their wings. You sort of want to let them fly and let them do their thing,' Markram told a virtual press conference on Friday as South Africa readied to depart for Australia, where they play three T20 internationals in Darwin and Cairns later this month.
"I think we've seen on various stages around the world now that they are proper X-factor players and that they have taken to international cricket quite easily,' he added.
"So, I don't know if I have too much advice for them, besides the fact that they must keep taking the game on and not be scared of disappointments or failures.
'It's been great to see their progress. They're going to play a massive role moving forward in cricket in South Africa and that's the thing that we're quite excited about,' Markram added.
Brevis, a regular in T20 leagues around the world, debuted for South Africa's T20 side against Australia two years ago while Pretorius, 19, debuted in last month's tri series against New Zealand and hosts Zimbabwe, scoring 51 in the final in Harare last weekend.
The pair are also in the squad to take on Australia in three One Day Internationals after the T20 series.
South Africa then head to England early next month for three ODIs and three T20s.
"For us as a team it'll be about fine tuning a lot of things and preparing for that T20 World Cup, so a great opportunity in Australia and then followed by England and if we can get closer towards another trophy, that'll be good," Markram told reporters.
South Africa were runners-up at the last T20 World Cup in the West Indies one year ago and Markram was the hero of their World Test Championship win over Australia in June.
The next T20 World Cup to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka in early 2026.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Former All Blacks winger Bridge signs with Western Force
MELBOURNE :Former New Zealand winger George Bridge has signed a two-year deal with Western Force and will return to Super Rugby next season, ending a three-year stint in French rugby. Bridge scored 12 tries in 19 tests for the All Blacks and played in the 2019 World Cup in Japan before heading abroad to play for Top 14 side Montpellier in 2022. The 30-year-old will replace Wallabies winger Harry Potter who left the Perth-based Force to join the New South Wales Waratahs. Bridge, who can also play fullback, was part of Scott Robertson's powerful Canterbury Crusaders from 2017-22, helping the South Island team win four Super Rugby titles and the domestic Super Rugby Aotearoa championship twice. "George is well known to a number of people on our staff and they can't speak highly enough of his professionalism, approach to the game and his rugby knowledge," Force coach Simon Cron said in a statement on Tuesday. "He's got a massive left foot kick. He can play multiple positions. He's a brilliant player. An amazing talent. He'll add to the guys that we have in the squad." The Force, who have never made the playoffs in any variant of Super Rugby since joining in 2006, managed only four wins last season and finished ninth in the 11-team competition. Bridge's former team, the Crusaders, won a record-extending 15th Super Rugby title.
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Rugby Australia chief certain Lions will return in 2037, Giteau Law scrapped
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Australia v British & Irish Lions - Third Test - Accor Stadium, Sydney, Australia - August 2, 2025 Australia celebrate their win over the Lions Dean Lewins/AAP Image via REUTERS/File Photo SYDNEY - Rugby Australia chief Phil Waugh was disappointed the Wallabies lost the test series against the British & Irish Lions but believes the tour was a huge success and talk that the tourists might not return in 2037 was well wide of the mark. Some media pundits had suggested after the Lions comfortably won the first test in Brisbane that Australian rugby was so weak the country no longer deserved its place on the touring rotation along with New Zealand and South Africa. Waugh thought the competitiveness of the Wallabies in the second test in Melbourne, where they came within seconds of victory, and the third in Sydney, where they won 22-12, had firmly quashed any speculation about the Lions not returning. "Australia is a really important home for the Lions tour every 12 years," the RA chief executive told reporters at the conclusion of the series. "On the field, I think the accumulative points, they got one point better than us and one try better than us, and it was a really fierce test battle. "So I think any of that speculation, it was shut down by a number of people, including their CEO, who spoke at various events committing to return to Australia." Waugh thought the second test, which attracted a crowd of 90,307 to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, was one of the best internationals he had seen in a while and said he had been impressed with the Wallabies throughout the series. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore launches review of economic strategy to stay ahead of global shifts Singapore A look at the five committees reviewing Singapore's economic strategy World Trump says he will 'substantially' raise tariffs on India over Russian oil purchases Singapore Strong S'pore-Australia ties underpinned by bonds that are continually renewed: President Tharman Singapore All recruits at BMTC will be trained to fly drones and counter them: Chan Chun Sing Sport Singaporean swimmer Gan Ching Hwee at 'crossroads' after World Aquatics C'ships display Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore Pritam Singh had hoped WP would 'tip one or two more constituencies' at GE2025 "I think it's been an overwhelmingly successful tour, albeit would have been nice to win the ... trophy, but that wasn't to happen," he added. "I think that the progress that's continued through the group, and I think the cultural growth of the group, has been really, really pleasing." Around 450,000 fans attended the nine matches and Waugh said the tour had exceeded expectations on financial returns for both RA and the Lions. REDUCE DEBT Exactly what the returns were was still being calculated, he said, but Australia's proceeds would go to reducing the A$80 million ($51.78 million) credit facility RA took out in 2023, which cost more than A$9 million to service last year. "It certainly exceeded expectations," Waugh said. "I've always said that it's a really good opportunity for us to reset the balance sheet. "We've got the debt facility, and ideally we pay that down as quickly as possible, given the cost to carry it ... then we'll lean into the next broadcast cycle to get to a financially sustainable model." The Wallabies got great returns in the series from Will Skelton, the wrecking ball of a lock who was recalled from his French club to take on the Lions. Tighthead prop Taniela Tupou, who played a key role in the third test victory, will also be moving to a French club this year, which would once have made him ineligible to play for the Wallabies. That blanket ban was eased ahead of the 2015 World Cup under the 'Giteau Law', which allowed the Wallabies coach to select three overseas-based players under certain criteria. RA's Director of High Performance Peter Horne confirmed that all restrictions on test selection had been scrapped when Joe Schmidt took over as Wallabies coach last year. "Joe's got no impediment to select whoever he wants. That's always been the case. The Giteau Law's kind of redundant," he said. "But we've also made a choice that we select domestically if the players are of equal calibre, it's important that we invest in our premier competition in Australia." REUTERS
CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
Rugby Australia chief certain Lions will return in 2037, Giteau Law scrapped
SYDNEY :Rugby Australia chief Phil Waugh was disappointed the Wallabies lost the test series against the British & Irish Lions but believes the tour was a huge success and talk that the tourists might not return in 2037 was well wide of the mark. Some media pundits had suggested after the Lions comfortably won the first test in Brisbane that Australian rugby was so weak the country no longer deserved its place on the touring rotation along with New Zealand and South Africa. Waugh thought the competitiveness of the Wallabies in the second test in Melbourne, where they came within seconds of victory, and the third in Sydney, where they won 22-12, had firmly quashed any speculation about the Lions not returning. "Australia is a really important home for the Lions tour every 12 years," the RA chief executive told reporters at the conclusion of the series. "On the field, I think the accumulative points, they got one point better than us and one try better than us, and it was a really fierce test battle. "So I think any of that speculation, it was shut down by a number of people, including their CEO, who spoke at various events committing to return to Australia." Waugh thought the second test, which attracted a crowd of 90,307 to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, was one of the best internationals he had seen in a while and said he had been impressed with the Wallabies throughout the series. "I think it's been an overwhelmingly successful tour, albeit would have been nice to win the ... trophy, but that wasn't to happen," he added. "I think that the progress that's continued through the group, and I think the cultural growth of the group, has been really, really pleasing." Around 450,000 fans attended the nine matches and Waugh said the tour had exceeded expectations on financial returns for both RA and the Lions. REDUCE DEBT Exactly what the returns were was still being calculated, he said, but Australia's proceeds would go to reducing the A$80 million ($51.78 million) credit facility RA took out in 2023, which cost more than A$9 million to service last year. "It certainly exceeded expectations," Waugh said. "I've always said that it's a really good opportunity for us to reset the balance sheet. "We've got the debt facility, and ideally we pay that down as quickly as possible, given the cost to carry it ... then we'll lean into the next broadcast cycle to get to a financially sustainable model." The Wallabies got great returns in the series from Will Skelton, the wrecking ball of a lock who was recalled from his French club to take on the Lions. Tighthead prop Taniela Tupou, who played a key role in the third test victory, will also be moving to a French club this year, which would once have made him ineligible to play for the Wallabies. That blanket ban was eased ahead of the 2015 World Cup under the 'Giteau Law', which allowed the Wallabies coach to select three overseas-based players under certain criteria. RA's Director of High Performance Peter Horne confirmed that all restrictions on test selection had been scrapped when Joe Schmidt took over as Wallabies coach last year. "Joe's got no impediment to select whoever he wants. That's always been the case. The Giteau Law's kind of redundant," he said. "But we've also made a choice that we select domestically if the players are of equal calibre, it's important that we invest in our premier competition in Australia."
