Quinton de Kock says he isn’t fazed about the competition with Hashim Amla to be AB de Villiers’ opening partner.

It is one of the biggest selection conundrums the selectors face as South Africa gear up for the T20 World Cup. De Kock was rested for the England series, when Amla thrived, but has been restored to the team against Australia.

Asked if he felt there was competition between himself and Amla for the opening spot at the World T20, he replied. ‘No, not really. Whoever gets into that position will do their best and what is needed for the team. We want to win a World Cup for once so there is not much competition. Me and him, there’s no beef, nothing like that.’

The irony is that the deciding factor might come down to what is best for De Villiers, because if De Kock plays, De Villiers doesn’t have to keep wicket.

While many fans have called for De Villiers to move back down to No 3, that is unlikely to happen. Coach Russell Domingo said it would be difficult to fit both De Kock and Amla into the team, but the option remains to move De Kock down the order.

‘We’ll see how things go [if I have to do that],’ he said. ‘I haven’t batted there in a while, but I’ll assess the situation and make sure my strike rate is at 100%. Then when the time is right, have a go. I’ll try and get the job done.’

In the meantime, South Africa still have a series to win against Australia in the decider at Newlands on Wednesday, even if they are mindful of the World Cup.

‘There obviously a bit of importance in winning the series. The wickets here are a bit different to the ones in India, but we want to win because a series win against Australia doesn’t come easy. A series win against them would be lovely, but  there’s a bigger picture at the end of the day.’