Bjorn Fortuin says captaining South Africa is a “massive honour” as he prepares to lead a relatively inexperienced Proteas squad in the T20I Tri-Series against Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Fortuin will captain the Proteas for the first time during the tournament in Windhoek, with the squad featuring several players looking to establish themselves at international level.
For Fortuin, however, the opportunity begins with representing South Africa.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to play for the country, first and foremost,” Fortuin said.
“Captaining is not necessarily something that I thought would come my way. It’s a massive honour to do that. I’ve been privileged to play with a large amount of guys in the group over the last 12 to 18 months.
“We’ve been playing quite a bit of A-side cricket together. It’s a nice group to be a part of. It’s a nice group to lead.
“Hopefully, we can have a good series.”
Fortuin wants young Proteas to express themselves
While the squad lacks the experience of a full-strength Proteas side, Fortuin believes there is plenty of talent within the group.
He hopes his role as captain will be to provide guidance while allowing the players around him to play their natural games.
“Opportunities have been limited, but as a player, all I can do is try and make the best of it,” he said.
“With regards to the next generation and the squad that we’ve got here, it’s a fairly inexperienced squad, but really talented. And they’ve all done some special things around the world.
“So hopefully I can just impart some knowledge to them and let their natural game flow.”
That includes Duan Jansen and Eathan Bosch, who were described in a question to Fortuin as new and raw talents.
Fortuin pushed back on that description, pointing towards the work both players have already done at domestic level.
“I wouldn’t necessarily call them raw,” Fortuin said.
“Both of them are cricketers that have performed quite well over a number of years domestically. In terms of their own game and what they bring to the party, they are fairly refined in that sense. It’s all about finding the right role for them and channelling that properly on the day.
“It’s just an exciting challenge to be a part of, not just for individuals but as a group as well. A lot of guys have personal ambitions going into a big summer, so hopefully the results come to the fore.”
“We don’t want to lose. We’re here to win”
South Africa enter the Tri-Series as the highest-ranked of the three teams, but Fortuin is not taking Namibia or Zimbabwe lightly.
The Proteas have recent experience of exactly what Namibia can do, having been beaten in Windhoek last year.
“The last time we were here sort of sets the tone for us,” Fortuin said.
“We don’t want to lose. We’re here to win. And that’s no disrespect to Namibia or Zimbabwe.
“They are two fairly good teams that have played a lot of cricket over the last few years. They’ve done well. They know each other’s games.
“And the results that they’ve churned out over the past few years speaks for themselves. The only thing that we are focused on is our own processes, taking things game by game, breaking down little phases in games because, like Gerhard said, it’s a packed schedule.
“So there are many unknowns that could present itself going forward into the next couple of weeks.
“So we’ll just try and take things in our stride and see where that takes us.”
Namibia defeat still fresh in the memory
Fortuin was also asked directly whether last year’s defeat to Namibia provided additional motivation for the Proteas.
He acknowledged the disappointment but rejected the suggestion that South Africa were carrying scars from the result.
“It wasn’t a fun experience,” he said.
“Whether there were scars or underlying issues resulting from that, I don’t think so. The reality was that we got beaten by the better team on the day.
“Like both of these men alluded to, anything can happen.
“If you take things for granted, you will definitely feel it. As a team, we are taking everything in our stride.
“We had to play our best team. Hopefully, those results take care of themselves.”
Maphaka looking forward to playing again
Kwena Maphaka is another member of the squad Fortuin knows from the domestic game.
After a period in which the young fast bowler has not played as regularly as he might have wanted, Fortuin believes simply getting back onto the field will be important.
“I think he’s just excited to be playing again,” Fortuin said.
“I don’t think he’s been playing as much cricket as he’d like to be playing over the last, let’s say, 12 to 18 months.
“So it’s just nice to see him on the park again. And yes, there might be one or two things that he’d be looking to sort of fine tune going into a big summer back home.
“But all in all, it’s just nice to see him back on the park again.”
Fortuin and his Proteas squad now enter the Tri-Series with an opportunity to build towards that home summer while giving several players another chance to stake their claim at international level.
For their new captain, the approach is clear: respect the opposition, focus on their own processes and ensure South Africa do not take anything for granted.
Proteas T20I Tri-Series fixtures
Friday, 28 August – 14:00
Namibia vs South Africa
Namibia Cricket Ground, Windhoek
Saturday, 29 August – 14:00
South Africa vs Zimbabwe
Namibia Cricket Ground, Windhoek
Monday, 31 August – 14:00
Namibia vs Zimbabwe
Namibia Cricket Ground, Windhoek
Tuesday, 1 September – 14:00
Zimbabwe vs South Africa
Namibia Cricket Ground, Windhoek
Thursday, 3 September – 14:00
Namibia vs Zimbabwe
Namibia Cricket Ground, Windhoek
Friday, 4 September – 14:00
Namibia vs South Africa
Namibia Cricket Ground, Windhoek
Sunday, 6 September – 14:00
Final: TBC vs TBC
Namibia Cricket Ground, Windhoek
Proteas ODI fixtures
1st ODI – Wednesday, 9 September – 09:30
Namibia vs South Africa
Namibia Cricket Ground, Windhoek
2nd ODI – Friday, 11 September – 09:30
Namibia vs South Africa
Namibia Cricket Ground, Windhoek
3rd ODI – Sunday, 13 September – 09:30
Namibia vs South Africa
Namibia Cricket Ground, Windhoek
