Proteas coach Rob Walter sure Anrich Nortje will 'hit his straps' at T20 World Cup

Nortje was named in the Proteas' 15-man squad for the global tournament that will take place in West Indies and the USA from 01 - 29 June. 

READ: Proteas include uncapped duo Ryan Rickelton, Ottniel Baartman in T20 World Cup squad

The paceman missed the ODI World Cup last year due to a stress fracture and only recently returned to competitive cricket.

The 30-year-old is currently playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but has not been in the best of form for Delhi Capitals which suggested his place in the Proteas squad could be in jeopardy.

Walter, however, had no qualms selecting the fast bowler, who has taken seven wickets in six matches in the IPL but has gone at an economy-rate of more than 13 runs an over. He has, though, encouragingly bowled at express pace.

The Proteas white-ball head coach said: "Anrich has got another month before the World Cup starts so I have no doubt he'll hit his straps 

"It's good to see that his speed is up. The one thing Anrich has that separates him from others is raw pace. 

"There's not many guys who can bowl 150kph and he can. Pace is an X-factor."

Another veteran in danger of missing out on selection was Quinton de Kock with Walter stating that historical performances was what swayed him to pick the wicketkeeper-batter.

The T20 World Cup could be e Kock's final appearance for the Proteas with him already having retired from the ODI and Test cricket and missing out on a national contract.

Walter added: "Quinny, we've seen him do it time and time again for us. Reeza [Hendricks] has been a star performer for us in T20 cricket, was a standout in this domestic CSA T20 challenge again, and Ryan Rickelton has had two outstanding competitions really where he's played the brand of cricket that we're looking to play.

"And then we're going to have Aidan Markram and that'll be the top order. It's mostly a performance-based decision and from Quinton's point of view is just a real knowledge of what he's capable of."

Proteas T20 World Cup squad: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi and Tristan Stubbs

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