Cairns, Aug 17 (IANS) South Africa veteran left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj said he remains determined to stake for a spot in the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup after being overlooked for the recent T20I series against Australia.
Maharaj is one of five changes to South Africa’s ODI squad that will face Australia at the Cazalys Stadium from Tuesday, alongside skipper Temba Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder, Matthew Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi.
He missed South Africa’s recent Test series win against Zimbabwe with a groin strain, but confirmed the injury had no bearing on his omission from the T20I series, which the visitors’ lost 2-1.
“Yeah, I’m available. I think ‘Shuks’ (coach Shukri Conrad) wants to try some things. He hasn’t closed the door, so I’m hoping that I will get an opportunity to show him what I can do,” Maharaj told reporters in Cairns on Sunday.
Maharaj was a key figure in South Africa’s run to the Men’s T20 World Cup final last year, where they were beaten by India in Barbados. He played all 10 matches in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India as well, taking 15 wickets at an economy rate of just 4.15 in another campaign that ended in semi-final defeat to eventual champions Australia.
With 16 T20Is scheduled before the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup takes place in India and Sri Lanka, Maharaj said he had no plans to cut back his commitments. “Not at all. Not yet. The T20 World Cup in 2026 is a huge one for me. For now, I’m happy to play three formats. I still love bowling and until that passion falls away then I want to play all three formats for my country and be a match winner,” he added.
–IANS
nr/bc
