Exclusive: Proteas Stalwart Rassie van der Dussen Backs Himself for Another World Cup

In an exclusive interview with SportsBoom, Proteas senior batter Rassie van der Dussen has emphasised his ambition to play in the 2027 One Day International World Cup that is set to be staged in South Africa.

The 2027 ODI World Cup

Ahead of the upcoming World Test Championship Final at Lord's Cricket ground in London next month, the 2027 One-Day International World Cup is the next priority for South African cricket. 

The country will host the tournament for the second time, having staged it for the first time over two decades ago. 

With home ground advantage, it is the perfect time for the Proteas to clinch their first-ever ICC trophy, having been denied the trophy in dramatic fashion for decades. 

The country's hopes rest on senior batter Rassie van der Dussen's availability as the 36-year-old has been the backbone of the batting unit since the retirements of greats including AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla. 

In an exclusive interview, Van der Dussen told SportsBoom that he is not closed to the idea of playing in the World Cup in 2027. 

"I'm definitely not closed to a World Cup in 2027," Van der Dussen told SportsBoom.com. 

"As far as ODI cricket, I can't say what the future necessarily holds, whether I'm going to play again or not, I think at the very least I'll be involved in some way, whether that's a transitional thing or whether I do keep playing and keep putting performances in."

"At this stage, I'm quite content with where I am in my career, and if I keep doing well and keep putting in performances, then I'll expect to be in the team for as long as I can. If I don't and somebody else lifts me out of my position, then that's also fair, that's how it works." 

Future in Test cricket

In Test cricket, Van der Dussen's spot has been taken by budding youngsters Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton and the 36-year-old told SportsBoom that he has accepted the idea of never playing another red-ball game. 

"I think I'm not going to play red ball cricket again. It's highly unlikely that I'll play another red ball match in my life, and I'm content and happy with that. I don't have any regrets regarding that," Van der Dussen told SportsBoom.com. 

"I was lucky enough to play in 18 tests and was always good enough to stay in the team, but never probably good enough to really hammer my spot down." 

T20I 

In T20I cricket, though Van der Dussen has played in the Proteas side in the tour to the West Indies a year ago, he is yet to feature in a full-strength Proteas T20I side, having been left out of the World Cup squad last year. 

However, the 36-year-old has enjoyed a lot of success opening the batting for MI Cape Town in the SA20 in the past three seasons, proving his ability and skill in the shortest format of the game. 

As a result, the batter is still determined to break into the T20I team. 

"In terms of T20 cricket, I feel like the last two years I've put a lot of time and effort into my game, especially against spin. I've seen the results of that, so that's always very rewarding and gratifying to see, I suppose, when you do put the conscious time and effort in and it does pay off," said Van der Dussen.   

"In T20 cricket, I feel like I'm playing really well, and I'll keep putting pressure on the guys in the team and hopefully get another proper chance at it. In cricket, it's very much what you do with opportunities that you get, and if I get that opportunity, hopefully I can grab it."

With Shukri Conrad recently appointed as the Proteas head coach across formats, Van der Dussen might get an opportunity in the T20I squad as the team builds towards the 2026 T20 World Cup set to be staged in India.