It's hard to shake the feeling that the Proteas' three-match T20 series against Pakistan, which starts on Thursday, possesses much of a context.
By all accounts, there should be one by default: this year's ICC World T20 in India.
There's, understandably, not much clarity yet on whether the showpiece tournament will indeed be taking place after last year's spectacle in Australia was canned due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
