No hard feelings from van der Dussen after World Cup snub

Proteas batter, Rassie van der Dussen, is not feeling hard done by after missing out on selection for the South African squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Van der Dussen is currently in Jamaica with the Proteas as they prepare for a three-match T20 series against West Indies starting tonight.

He will be captaining in the absence of regular skipper, Aiden Markram, who is still involved in Indian Premier League competition rendering him unavailable for the series in the Caribbean.

Seven members of the World Cup squad are missing this week, mostly due to IPL commitments, while fast-bowler Kagiso Rabada is in South Africa as he recovers from a muscle tissue injury.

Speaking to the media yesterday, the stand-in skipper said he was entirely focused on leading the largely second-string SA side against their hosts over the next few days.

“I don’t feel like I need to prove anything, and I think it’s pretty standard what I’m about as a cricketer,” said Van der Dussen.

“The coach (Rob Walter) has to pick a World Cup squad and there are only 15 guys who can go, so he has to come up with combinations he feels will give us the best chance, and as a greater squad and as a country, that’s what it’s all about.”

The top-order batter is also expecting a tough encounter against the hosts, although they are ranked higher than them in the latest ICC rankings.

“We know they’re a world-class unit, especially in their own conditions, and the people here in the Caribbean are very passionate about cricket, so we know it’s a tough place to come and play. We’ve seen that before,” Van der Dussen said.

“They’re a very proud team and they look like they know what they’re about and how they want to play, so it’s always a great challenge to come here.

“From our point of view, we’ve won here before and we won the series the last time we were here (in 2021), so we will definitely be going out to try and win again with one eye on the bigger picture of the World Cup.”

After tonight’s match, the Proteas will face the West Indies in two more T20 Internationals on Saturday and Sunday.