- Proteas convenor of selectors Victor Mpitsang expects T20 captain Temba Bavuma to open the batting on his return to the team.
- Bavuma has missed the entire England tour with an elbow injury, with Reeza Hendricks excelling in the T20 series.
- Rassie van der Dussen will miss the World Cup as he recovers from a broken finger.
Proteas convenor of selectors Victor Mpitsang expects T20 captain Temba Bavuma to open the batting at next month's World Cup in Australia as concerns over the balance and composition of the top order intensify.
Bavuma has sufficiently recovered from an elbow injury that prevented him from being part of the England touring group.
His absence though opened up an opportunity for Reeza Hendricks to peel off four consecutive 50s - three against England and one against Ireland - and stake a claim for a starting berth in Australia.
With Quinton de Kock a sure-fire bet to open in the format, a selection headache looms that could now be made easier with the injured Rassie van der Dussen missing the tournament.
The Proteas have a short three-match series in India in early October before heading off to the World Cup to test combinations, with Mpitsang being open to experimentation when needed.
"Temba has been playing for the Lions, he's well recovered and he's ready. He will be opening the batting because that's the role he's played for the last year, so that's where I see him batting," Mpitsang said.
"We'll start to see in India, but based on the conditions that we have in front of us, but we have the resources to make the calls when the time comes.
"We had Hendricks opening the batting in India and Temba batting at three, while Rilee has batted at three and very well."
Mpitsang though was rather stumped when asked whether Bavuma would be able to sit out a game if the need arose.
Of South Africa's top-order options, Bavuma has the lowest strike-rate with 120, with Hendricks having the second-lowest with 125.
With the other top four options having strikes of 130-plus, it may come down to a shootout between the two, which sort of explained why Mpitsang had difficulty navigating the question.
The India series, despite that it'll take place in vastly different conditions as compared to Australia, may provide the balance and composition answers to deal with the current conundrum.
"It's a difficult question and a tough call. I don't know. I haven't decided yet," Mpitsang said.
"I think with the 15 players that we have, we can make the right calls with the conditions that we'll be facing.
"We've got enough options to make those calls."
Van der Dussen's absence does open up the chance to play two cultured power hitters in the middle order in the form of Tristan Stubbs and Aiden Markram.
Van der Dussen was one of the star performers in last year's T20 World Cup and Mpitsang couldn't hide his disappointment.
"He went for surgery and his injury will take about six weeks to heal," Mpitsang said.
"The timing of his injury wasn't great and his recovery timelines were not great for us, unfortunately."