Shukri Conrad: Batsmen have 'flown past' Reeza Hendricks in Proteas pecking order

Hendricks, 35, was a notable omission from the Proteas squad named for next month's white-ball tour of Australia. Despite his experience and holding a national contract, the right-hander has been overlooked in favour of Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton, whom Conrad identified as his preferred opening pair in the shortest format.

"There are players who have flown past Reeza," Conrad said during a media briefing on Thursday. "He's been a great performer for South Africa, especially in this format, but it's no secret that Aiden and Ryan are my preferred opening batters."

Hendricks has represented South Africa in 82 T20Is, scoring 2,345 runs at an average of 29.68 and a strike rate of 130.64. His record includes 17 half-centuries and a hundred against Pakistan as recently as December 2024. However, his current form has been mixed, with scores of 11, 16, 6, and 41 in the ongoing T20I Tri-Series in Zimbabwe.

"It makes it difficult for Razzle to fit in," Conrad continued. "There are also guys like Rassie van der Dussen and Lhuan-dre Pretorius who can open or bat in the middle, giving us that extra flexibility. It's unfortunate that it's fallen this way on Reeza, but I feel there are other players who offer better options right now."

Hendricks wasn't the only high-profile omission. David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Gerald Coetzee were also left out of the squads for the Australia tour. Miller will instead play in The Hundred, as permitted under the terms of his hybrid contract with Cricket South Africa.

Meanwhile, Shamsi and Coetzee have seen themselves slip down the selection order in their respective departments.

"I haven't had the opportunity to chat with Shammo, which is unfortunate," Conrad said. "But the selections speak for themselves. If you look at the spinners named in the T20 squad, that should give you a fair idea of who the front-runners are."

Fast bowlers Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje were not considered for selection due to injury.

The squad selections suggest that the Proteas are entering a transitional phase in T20 cricket, with a focus on fresh faces and multi-role players ahead of the next ICC cycle.