Coach Shukri Conrad and his Proteas team are ready to end South Africa's painful history with limited overs World Cup cricket at the 2026 T20 tournament in India and Sri Lanka. (Photo: Paul Harding / Gallo Images) 
Despite succumbing to a 30-run defeat to 2026 T20 World Cup co-hosts India (who are staging the tournament alongside Sri Lanka) in their final pre-tournament warm-up match, the Proteas are quietly confident that they can finally have a memorable limited overs World Cup.
South African cricket’s World Cup woes are well-documented, with the latest one for the Proteas men coming when they lost by a narrow seven-run margin to current world champions India at the previous edition of the T20 spectacle two years ago.
Consistency the key?
The bulk of the team that played in that particular tournament and propelled the Proteas to the final has been retained, including stars such as batters Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram, as well as bowlers Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Keshav Maharaj.
The South Africans, aided by these stars, will be want to commence their campaign with a comprehensive win over Canada on Monday, 9 February.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2219347881-1.jpg "Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad says his team will be taking one match at a time at the 2026 T20 World Cup. (Photo: Philip Brown / Getty Images)")
A win in their opening match against the Canadians, who are participating in just their second World Cup after debuting two years ago, will be key for the Proteas. Especially as tougher challenges await from New Zealand and Afghanistan, who are also in Group D. The United Arab Emirates complete the five-team mini-league.
One of the biggest changes from two years ago comes in the form of the head coach. When the Proteas reached their maiden World Cup final at the 2024 T20 World Cup, Rob Walter was in charge. He has since departed the role, with Test team mentor, Shukri Conrad, replacing him.
Buzzing Conrad
Now in charge of the South African senior men’s cricket side across all three international formats, Conrad is excited about participating in his maiden limited overs World Cup.
It won’t be his first World Cup participation. Conrad orchestrated South Africa’s success in the World Test Championship (WTC).
However, unlike the frantic and fast-paced T20 format, the WTC is played over two years. It culminates in a once-off final, with the most recent one (played in 2025) featuring eventual winners, South Africa, and runners-up Australia.
/file/attachments/2985/2219312342_361161_1e35ba7b4ab1fc8c2930213fbf1d7432.jpg "Shukri Conrad says he is excited about coaching South Africa at his maiden limited overs World Cup, having led the Proteas to World Test Championship success in 2025. (Photo: Paul Harding / Getty Images)")
“I’m like a child in a candy shop [ahead of the World Cup]. This World Cup is my first one. The WTC? We know how well that ended. But we start on a clean slate. We know we need to play well,” Conrad said.
“There’s a lot to a World Cup rather than a once-off Test. Obviously, [we have some] tricky games. Every game is a must-win game, essentially,” the 58-year-old added. “Every side can beat any side on its day; it’s a fickle format. But we need to make sure that we win all the clutch moments.”
Painful memories
That was the Proteas’ undoing when they were just minutes away from winning South Africa’s maiden senior World Cup in 2024.
Needing just 30 runs from 30 balls to cross the finish line against eventual champions India, the team capitulated as Indian star Jasprit Bumrah and his fellow bowlers put on a death-bowling masterclass to frustrate the South Africans.
But for Conrad, it’s about taking one step at a time at the tournament, which will be played from 7 February to 8 March.
“We need to get out of the group stages and then start ramping it up as we go along. It’s going to be a tough nut to crack, but we are up for it,” the Proteas coach said.
/file/attachments/orphans/2258696503_740585.jpg "The Proteas head to the 2026 T20 World Cup riding a 2-1 series win over West Indies. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images / Getty Images)")
Balancing act
With South Africa’s bowling line-up stacked with some of the best seamers in cricket but pitches in the World Cup host countries being more conducive to spin-bowling, the Proteas’ batting will be crucial towards any success.
The match against Canada will provide the team with the perfect platform to gain confidence, but also to gauge where they are and what improvements are needed before they meet the tougher challenges that lie ahead.
One of South Africa’s key weapons will be the in-form De Kock. The top order batter was in fine form during the Proteas’ final T20 series before the World Cup, when they beat the West Indies 2-1 in January. In the second match, he scored a belligerent 115 off 49 balls as his team took an unassailable 2-0 lead versus the Windies.
The batter is optimistic that South Africa’s strong batting line-up will help the team succeed in their latest attempt to clinch a limited overs World Cup.
/file/attachments/orphans/TL_2510040_384719.jpg "Proteas batter Quinton de Kock will be one of the key components if South Africa are to finally end their misery limited overs misery. (Photo: Christiaan Kotze / Gallo Images)")
“I just have to go through my processes, like I always do. Whether I’m playing well or not, my process remains the same one I’ve done for years. So, I’ll just carry on doing that. There’s nothing much to it,” De Kock said on maintaining his form at the World Cup.
“Wickets in India change between day and night. But we’ve spoken about not depending on just one batter [and their strengths],” he said. “Of course, there are also youngsters, and we try to help them where we can. The most important thing is to be as adaptable as possible.”
The Proteas’ match against Canada will commence at 3.30pm (South Africa time) on Monday, 9 February. DM