Kruger, Maphaka, Proteas finds during the West Indies tour

The just-ended T20 series between the West Indies and South Africa was not a contest for points. It meant two different things to both outfits. Darren Sammy retained most of his squad from the 2024 T20 World Cup because he wanted to use this series as the first step towards building a championship-winning side.

Rob Water, the Proteas coach, had other ideas. “We need to grow the base of our players that are competing at this level. For me, the importance of fixtures like these are massive. The leagues and the congestion is a challenge, but actually, it can be a positive for us in that we've got a broader group of players that are playing competitive cricket," he shared before the tour.

Sammy looks to be on track with his vision after his side subjected South Africa to a series white-wash, his side’s second 3 - 0 victory over the Proteas in three months. For the South Africans, it has been learning through ordeal. The West Indies’ batters showed no mercy to the inexperienced South African bowling attack and their victories were emphatic.

"It was a tough one today. Probably got the tougher of the conditions. That being said, we can improve as a team. It's quite a bit we can take from it,” Markram shared after losing the final match by eight wickets.

The South Africans had the worst of the conditions in the third T20I, after losing the toss and being asked to bat first. When they went in to bat, the pitch was amenable to spin and boundaries were hard to come by. When the West Indies came in to bat, the pitch had improved and the wetness in the outfield made gripping the ball tough.

“The rain didn't help. Probably got the tougher of the conditions. That being said, we can improve as a team. It's going to take a little bit of time. It's quite a bit we can take from it. It's never great to lose,” Markram added.

However, despite the heartache of losing so badly, Walter found some silver linings from the tour. While the South African coach was disappointed that a few batters got starts and did not cash in, there was the highlight of seeing Tristan Stubbs perform consistently. The 24-year-old finished with the most runs in the series. And Walter also identified two finds worth investing in.

“In our two trips to the West Indies where we've tried to give some different faces an opportunity against high-quality opposition, which has been great,” Walter shared after the series.

One of those faces was Kwena Maphaka, whom Walter says has gained invaluable experience competing against a team as good as the West Indies.

“He's got speed. Left-armers always give a different angle, he’s able to swing the ball when there's a bit of shape. We saw some really exciting change-ups for a young guy to have. He bowled some seriously good overs in the death phase of the game. Which will shine his ability to, you know, deal with the pressure of T20 cricket. It is early days. So we don't put too much pressure on a young cricketer, just allow him to make his way into international cricket,” Walter explained.

Walter was also impressed by Patrick Kruger. The 29-year-old allrounder showed his ability with the bat in the first match when he shared a potentially match-saving 71-run sixth-wicket partnership with Tristan Stubbs. Kruger scored a valuable 44 from 32 in that match. He finished the series with the fifth-most runs for South Africa.

“(Kruger) is a nice find for the tour, batted well in the first T20I, and bowled well across the three games. So, it was nice to get him into the team and give him a consistent run,” Walter shared.

“So irrespective of the results, it’s huge that we were able to give those guys some exposure, give them a good read in their own personal games as to where they need to look to improve and where they excel. So from that point of view, very chuffed that the two is able to deliver that for us,” Walter added.