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Johannesburg - Proteas T20 skipper Faf du Plessis admits experimentation will be a high priority in their two matches against Bangladesh as they look towards next year’s ICC World Twenty 20 Championships in India.
“These games are important, especially for the younger guys, who don’t get much opportunity, and this is great to see what they can do,” Du Plessis said ahead of their departure to Bangladesh on Monday.
“Mostly it is to get the younger guys prepared for when they get to England.”
Du Plessis and his charges had three months to recuperate following the 2015 World Cup and the captain was rubbing his hands together with glee as the shortest format of the game would receive more attention.
“I am looking forward to the T20 side of things as a leader to try form a team that you think can win a World Cup and we have a really good idea,” he said.
“I think we will have a really strong side, so from a T20 perspective I am very excited.
“It is nice that some of the focus comes to the T20 side because now most of the main players can play in most of the games.”
While nine of the players in the T20 squad played part in this year’s World Cup it is in the bowling department where the squad will be doing some experimentation.
Some of the stalwarts such as Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel have been excused from T20 duties to see how new faces such as Chris Morris, Eddie Leie and Kagiso Rabada performed at this level.
“It is now about players getting some time to play in their role, there will be some changes in the roles which I am really excited about,” Du Plessis said.
“It is going to be a combination of trying to get your best team and giving one or two guys and opportunity to play with the likes of AB de Villiers so that can see how they play the situation.”
Du Plessis said he was also looking forward to get stuck into Test cricket after it took a bit of a back seat in the Proteas’ build-up to the World Cup.
“I am also really excited about Test cricket, we probably only played six Tests last year which is nothing,” Du Plessis said.
“So I am looking forward to the Test season, ODI cricket won’t take a back seat but it won’t take all the attention as it did for the World Cup.”
