He wasn't part of South Africa's squad on India tour.
South Africa have multiple issues going into the T20 World Cup 2026, and the upcoming SA20 2026 will give several fringe players a chance to press a case for a spot. Among them is Rassie van der Dussen, who is on a hybrid contract with CSA but has been out of the national side for some time now.
While not in the national plans, Dussen has been scoring runs in local competitions to stay in contention, as the competition at the top of the order continues to grow. In this year’s CSA T20 Challenge, he was the second-leading run-getter, with 275 runs at an average of 55 and a strike rate of 143.97 in six innings, including two fifties.
Speaking about his ambitions to feature in the T20 World Cup 2026, Rassie van der Dussen emphasised the importance of experience in this format, which helps a player stay calm in such a high-profile tournament. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, the 36-year-old stated that international cricket demands experience, unlike leagues, which goes in his favour to convince management to include him in the squad.
“Experience. Sometimes, these days, especially in T20 cricket, experience is put on the back burner a bit. But the one thing that experience gives you is a calm head. Often, you are playing situations, and coming up against guys you’ve probably come up against before. That’s not spoken of enough, especially in international cricket.”
South Africa have plenty of top-order options to choose from, especially after Quinton de Kock’s return, and Rassie van der Dussen will need to show distinct qualities to find a spot in the T20 World Cup 2026 squad. As he himself pointed out, the veteran batter brings experience playing 57 T20Is, scoring 1406 runs at an average of 33.47 and a strike rate of 128.75 in 53 innings, with 10 fifties.
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His last T20I outing for the Proteas came against Australia earlier this year, and he was later omitted from the India tour. The biggest issue with Dussen’s T20 game is his tepid scoring rate, as his career strike rate shows, and he can often fail to get going in the middle overs.
While a fabulous player of pace bowling, Rassie van der Dussen has ample problems against spinners, who can cramp him with stump lines on slightly non-fuller deliveries. His go-to sweep and reverse sweep shots are not too effective against quality spinners, and he can end up playing negative-impact knocks on tacky wickets.
However, South Africa tried Reeza Hendricks against India, but his returns didn’t improve, so they can opt to bring him back to get some solidity at the top. Eventually, a lot will depend on how SA20 performances stack up, and that’s where Dussen, who will represent MI Cape Town, will look to make an impact ahead of the mega event.
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