Aiden Markram is one of seven survivors from that 2024 final travelling to India and Sri Lanka this month. (Proteas Men/X)
As the Proteas touched down in India on Monday afternoon, the heavy, humid air of the subcontinent served as an immediate sensory departure from the highveld summer they left behind. But for captain Aiden Markram, the physical journey is secondary to the psychological one.
As South Africa embarks on what the squad has officially termed on social media as their “journey to greatness” at the 2026 T20 World Cup, the primary objective is to leave the ghosts of Barbados exactly where they found them: in the past.
It has been nearly two years since that agonising afternoon in June 2024, when South Africa sat on the precipice of immortality, needing just 30 runs from 30 balls to secure their first-ever World Cup. They fell seven runs short against India. For many, that scar remains tender. For Markram, it is merely a data point in a previous life.
“For me, [this year’s tournament] is a clean slate, a new opportunity to start from scratch and to play good cricket initially, to earn the right to go and chase a trophy,” Markram said shortly before the team’s Sunday departure from OR Tambo International.
Markram is one of seven survivors from that 2024 final travelling to India and Sri Lanka this month. He is acutely aware that, while he has “parked” the disappointment, the narrative of the “choker” remains a favourite talking point for critics, even after South Africa’s historic World Test Championship (WTC) title last year.
“It depends on each guy,” Markram explained regarding the emotional fallout of 2024. “Some may have parked it, some may use it as motivation. You don’t want to—I mean, yes, it is a World Cup, but you don’t want to blow it out of proportion. You’ve got a job at hand on the cricket field, and if you can get yourself in that frame of mind to do that job well, then I think we give ourselves a good chance.”
The SA20 Pipeline: A Battery of Form
The Proteas arrive in India on the back of a hard-fought 2-1 series win over the West Indies. While the final match at the Wanderers Stadium on Saturday – Pink Day was a chaotic, rain-reduced 10-over affair that ended in a six-run defeat for the hosts, the underlying data suggests a team peaking at the precise moment the global spotlight turns on.
Much of this confidence is forged in the fires of the SA20. The domestic league has transitioned from a commercial success to a vital scouting ground, producing a top four that is arguably the most destructive in world cricket. Markram himself has finally exorcised his T20 international demons; after going 35 innings without a half-century in the format, he struck a career-high 86 off 47 balls against the Windies last week.
“It’s exciting to see Aiden in such good form,” noted Proteas spinner George Linde. “The way he bats, the way he makes it look easy—his shot selection is incredible. He’s an exceptional leader and we all follow him.”
The “Gen-Next” stars are equally radiant. Dewald Brevis, the 22-year-old often compared to AB de Villiers, finished the SA20 season as the second-highest run-scorer, including a brutal 101 in the final. His form has been nothing short of transformative.
“He oozes confidence,” said Shai Hope, the West Indies captain and Brevis’s teammate at the Pretoria Capitals. “He’s one of those characters that feels he can get the job done in any situation at any time. He has natural talent and ability.”
Alongside Brevis stands Ryan Rickelton, who led the run-scoring charts for much of the SA20, and Tristan Stubbs, who has evolved into a clinical finisher. With Quinton de Kock reversing his retirement and finishing as the SA20’s top run-getter (390 runs at a strike rate of 149), the Proteas possess a top order that essentially picks itself.
However, the road since the 2024 final has been statistically rocky. Since that day in Barbados, South Africa has won just 12 and lost 20 of their T20I matches. They have struggled away from home, failing to win a single series on foreign soil in the last 18 months. They will also deeply miss the retired Heinrich Klaasen, whose ability to dismantle spin with “absolute violence” was the cornerstone of their 2024 run.
To counter these deficits, the Proteas are leaning on their veterans. The medical clearance of David Miller following an adductor strain is a massive boost. Miller, the “calm head” of the middle order, provides the necessary ballast for the raw explosiveness of Jason Smith, who recently hammered 24 off just 10 balls at the Wanderers to justify his inclusion.
The bowling attack is equally balanced between experience and youth. Anrich Nortje is back for an ICC event, joining Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi in a pace trio that remains among the world’s most feared. Watching them closely will be the teenage sensation Kwena Maphaka, the 19-year-old left-arm quick who represents the future of the South African attack.
The Road to Ahmedabad
South Africa’s World Cup campaign begins in earnest on February 9 against Canada in Ahmedabad. It is a group they should dominate, with assignments against Afghanistan, New Zealand, and the UAE to follow. Should they finish in the top two, a Super Eight group featuring hosts India and Australia likely awaits.
The immediate focus, however, is a high-stakes warm-up match against India in Mumbai this Wednesday. It will be the first time many of these players have faced the Indian public since the 2024 final, and it serves as a litmus test for Markram’s “clean slate” philosophy.
The “Chokers” tag may have been officially buried by the WTC title, but the ghost of 2024 still rattles its chains in the background of every T20 conversation. Markram knows that in India, where the crowds are loud and the scrutiny is relentless, the only way to silence the noise is through clinical execution.
“We’ll see what is waiting for us on that side from a conditions point of view,” Markram concluded. “Obviously that’s going to be a lot of the chat now, and we’ll come up with the plans from there. If you look throughout the SA20, the guys have been doing really well and winning games for their teams. That’s what you need at a World Cup.”
The Proteas have landed. The slate is clean. Now, the writing begins.
FULL SQUAD – Proteas
Aiden Markram(c), Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Jason Smith, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje