South Africa has had, by any reasonable standard, an awful year in bilateral T20 series. It’s been bad—historically bad. They’ve lost 10 out of 12 T20 Internationals outside the World Cup. Captain Aiden Markram has faced heavy criticism, with calls for his removal, while former Proteas Herschelle Gibbs and Johan van der Wath have demanded head coach Rob Walter step aside.
Let’s be clear: the results haven’t been great. But the response to them? That feels wildly excessive. If we were talking about South Africa’s form going into a World Cup, or if this run of results included a bad World Cup, I’d understand the outrage. Yet, this is the same team that reached the T20 World Cup final in the middle of this supposedly disastrous stretch. So, what exactly is everyone so worried about?
It’s not even like consistent success in bilateral series is a precursor to winning a T20 World Cup. History tells us otherwise. The Proteas made the 2024 World Cup final despite winning just two of their twelve games leading into the tournament. Australia clinched the 2021 title after winning only six out of 21 matches in the lead-up, and England were crowned champions in 2022 after winning 11 of 21 games. Clearly, T20 cricket is more about peaking at the right time than about sustained dominance.
And yet, here we are, with excessive reactions that seem to stem more from public posturing than from logic.
Take last year’s 50-over World Cup as an example. South Africa made the semi-final for the first time in eight years, but skipper Temba Bavuma faced relentless criticism during a horror run of form. Bavuma, who averaged 72.33 in the series immediately preceding the tournament, struggled with 145 runs at an average of 18.12 during the World Cup. He had to return home briefly due to a family emergency and hobbled through the semi-finals with a hamstring injury.
Despite his resilience, Bavuma’s lack of form led to widespread calls for his removal as captain, with some reputable cricket outlets claiming there was “no cricketing reason” to keep him in charge. This was not only absurd but historically baseless—South Africa had never sacked a captain mid-tournament, even during previous World Cup disasters. Why? Because changing captains mid-World Cup is madness.
Unfortunately, the groundwork for such unreasonable criticism was laid, and it continues. Now, just months after Aiden Markram captained South Africa to their first-ever World Cup final in any format, people are calling for his head. They’re also questioning Rob Walter—a coach who has guided South Africa to consecutive semi-finals or better in ICC white-ball tournaments, a feat not achieved since 2015.
The reaction is clear evidence of overreach. Yes, South Africa’s bilateral T20 form is a concern, but to dismiss the progress made on the world stage is to ignore the bigger picture entirely.
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