'There’s lots of firepower': Graeme Smith backs South Africa’s T20 World Cup depth

The 2024 runners-up South Africa will open their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against Canada on February 9, carrying strong momentum from a dominant run in international cricket, highlighted by their ICC World Test Championship triumph last year and a home Test whitewash of India.

That form, combined with growing depth and confidence, places them firmly among the teams to watch. South Africa are drawn in Group D alongside Afghanistan and New Zealand, with Canada and the UAE completing the line-up.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!For former South Africa captain and SA20 league commissioner Graeme Smith, Tristan Stubbs’ recent performances could have significant implications heading into the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Smith, speaking in a media interaction facilitated by SA20 after the league’s fourth season concluded, pointed to South Africa’s growing familiarity with subcontinental conditions.

“The exposure now is extremely different,” he said. “Players spend an immense amount of time in the subcontinent through the IPL or touring.”“It’s not foreign to any of these players. They’ve probably spent years of their lives now playing there.

When I look at the team, I’d go into a World Cup expecting them to do really well.”Smith highlighted South Africa’s batting depth as a clear strength, with several players capable of winning matches on their own.

“There’s lots of firepower,” he said. “There are match winners.”What will matter, he stressed, is balance.“It’ll be interesting to see what combinations Shukri and the team come up with,” Smith said. “Some grounds are challenging to defend, some wickets play flat, and then your bowlers are really tested.”“So the bowling combinations are going to be interesting, but there’s enough in that squad to go deep into the tournament.”Stubbs’ form had dipped early in the SA20, and he was initially left out of South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad. Injuries to Donovan Ferreira and Tony de Zorzi changed the picture, opening the door for a recall for him and Ryan Rickelton. Stubbs took time to find his rhythm, but Smith felt the final represented more than just runs.“His power, the experiences he has, we’ve seen it in the IPL, for South Africa and in SA20,” Smith said. “He’s got it. That innings would give him a world of confidence. He’s a confident player anyway, but he would have grown in stature.”Smith also referenced the pressure Stubbs has carried in recent months.“He’s had to fight back from a few disappointments in the last six months,” he said. “I always love it when a player under pressure shows his worth on a big stage like a final.

Hopefully, he takes that feeling, that form and that confidence into the World Cup.”The fourth edition of SA20 ended on a high, reinforcing its rise as one of the best cricket leagues in the world. Sunrisers Eastern Cape lifted their third title in four finals after edging past Pretoria Capitals at Newlands, with Stubbs producing a defining unbeaten 63 under pressure.“I thought he nailed it in the final,” Smith said after the season concluded.

“He rebuilt the innings and then really showed his ability to take the game on.”Stubbs’ knock anchored a tricky chase of 157 and came through an unbroken 111-run stand with Matthew Breetzke. The partnership turned a pursuit that had stalled into a controlled finish, capped by back-to-back sixes in the final over. It was also Stubbs’ first T20 half-century in 51 innings since August 2024.“There was a lot going on,” Smith said. “It was his first time captaining the team, people were talking about his tempo and getting frustrated that he wasn’t moving quicker.

But finals are about reading moments, and he read it perfectly.”Smith is also keen to see how South Africa use Dewald Brevis, particularly his position in the batting order. Brevis finished as the second-highest run-scorer, playing for the Pretoria Capitals. He scored a century in the tournament final but ultimately couldn’t win it for his side.“We’ve seen his journey of maturing,” Smith said. “He struggled early, there were tactics against him, then he figured it out. They pushed him up the order slightly, even in the final. He was given more responsibility and he stepped up.”“Do you bat him at three or four, or hold him at five or six? That’s going to be interesting,” Smith added.