Effect of Brexit on Cricket: South Africa's possible XIs including Kolpak returns

T20 XI: Colin Ingram could be in for a return to the side

Colin Ingram has been a T20 star for a while but hasn't played a T20I since 2012.

The T20 internationals are the best hope for most of the returning players if they are to attempt an international comeback, aside from the trio of big name Test hopefuls.

A T20 journeyman and regular run-getter worldwide is Colin Ingram, who has a fantastic temperament and match awareness in the shortest format. A career average of over 30 in T20 matches with a strike rate of 139.77 and best of 127 not out in the Pakistan Super League make him an ideal candidate for a national team return.

To add to previously referenced statistics, Rilee Rossouw had a fantastic year in 2019 as a T20 globetrotter, managing 1301 runs across the year at an average of 40.65 with a strike rate of 144.39, playing for Hampshire, Khulna Tigers, Quetta Gladiators and Rangpur Riders. He finished 6th on the list of most T20 runs in 2019 behind Babar Azam, AB de Villiers, Kieron Pollard, James Vince and the next man on our list.

While Cameron Delport is also tipped for a potential ODI debut, that could be overshadowed by his franchise T20 record. He bettered Rossouw by 80 runs and although his average was 26.55, his strike rate was higher and he scored two T20 centuries in comparison to Rossouw's one.

At age 30, Delport has never represented South Africa in any format, but he has matured significantly and has secured T20 contracts in every major league bar the Big Bash at some point.

Even Worcestershire's Riki Wessels surely wouldn't rule out a return. Shockingly, he went the Kolpak route all the way back in 2005 when he was a teenager, later using an Entrepreneur Visa to sign for his county, but has had no success when it comes to an England call-up.

A stunning partnership with Martin Guptill in the T20 blast last year saw the home side chase down 181 in just 12.1 overs when Wessels scored an insane 74 from 29 with eight fours and five sixes while his Kiwi partner managed 86 from 31 with 10 sixes. Surely he wouldn't be out of place in the South Africa squad after such a stellar year?

A T20 revelation has been the burly fast bowler Hardus Viljoen, who is a pretty unique pacer. He has never played ODI or T20 cricket for South Africa, but he played a single test match for the Proteas in 2016 against England. His breakthrough-style bouncy fast bowling earned him stints in the PSL, CPL and the IPL, where he represented Kings XI Punjab in 2019 and has been retained for 2020.

Two more unlikely T20 representatives are Wayne Parnell and David Wiese. Parnell has grown more and gained more expensive in his worldwide T20 appearances, but his skills provide an interesting angle. This same angle saw him earn a call-up for the 2017 Champions Trophy, which was his last appearance for South Africa in ODIs, before a match against England in a T20 later that month was his last in any format.

David Wiese may end up being too old for a run in the side, but his big stage comeback in the PSL last year, mainly with the bat, at least means he deserves some recognition in this format.

T20I XI after returns

Quinton de Kock (W/C), Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Rilee Rossouw, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Bjorn Fortuin, Hardus Viljoen, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi.

Bench Players: Cameron Delport, Jon-Jon Smuts, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo.