Proteas aim to win home series against West Indies ahead of T20 World Cup

By Nasri Alexander
27th January 2026

Proteas captain Aiden Markram is pleased that most of his team has found form ahead of the three-match series against West Indies, starting in Paarl on Tuesday, and the T20 World Cup.

All the Proteas players have been involved in the SA20 during the last month, with the batters especially finding some form during the last week.

Dewald Brevis struck a brilliant century in the SA20 final at Newlands, where Tristan Stubbs played a match-winning knock to help Sunrisers Eastern Cape to a third title in four seasons.

Markram himself scored a hundred for playing Durban's Super Giants in the latter stages of SA20 while Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton were in the top three run-scorers in the competition.

"Obviously it is a bit different to SA20," Markram told reporters. "But I feel like everyone's in a really good space, informal conversations in the buses and stuff, and everyone's sort of feeling that same good energy that the guys are in a good space.

"Yeah, quite a few of the guys have done well, and are showing some really good signs.

"You'd much rather be in that space as a team than maybe sitting with a few guys that have been struggling, so we're blessed that the boys are looking really good, and I can take that confidence now to India."

Stubbs, De Kock and Marco Jansen will be rested for the opening T20I against the Windies in Paarl with Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Eathan Bosch called into the Proteas squad as cover.

The opener against the Caribbean outfit at Boland Park will be followed by contests at Centurion on Thursday and at the Wanderers on Sunday, before jetting off to India for the T20 World Cup that kicks off on 7 February.

Markram made sure to point out that the hosts will be aiming to win the series against the Windies even though they will be testing combinations ahead of the global tournament.

The Proteas skipper added: "You do have to understand where we're at currently and what's to come, and try and get guys in a series like this where hopefully in the World Cup they find themselves playing similar role.

"But yeah, you want to win. I'll always be a captain that wants to win. Been through a lot of bilateral series where we've lost, and it's incredibly frustrating."