Who is Jason Smith and why South Africa picked him for T20 World Cup

Surprises are part of selection and South Africa produced one of the biggest when they named Jason Smith, with only five international caps to his name, in the T20 World Cup squad. Smith was preferred over Tristan Stubbs, who has not crossed 40 in any of the seven T20Is he has played this year, and who has struggled for form across formats.

Given Stubbs' experience in India and success with Delhi Capitals in the IPL, the decision has raised eyebrows, especially as Smith is relatively unknown outside South Africa but coach Shukri Conrad has become known for left-field choices and we'd do well to get ourselves acquainted with his latest.

Smith is a 31-year-old batter who also bowls some seam, and has spent the bulk of his career playing in the Western Cape but is now based in Durban. His selling point is "versatility", according to selection convenor Patrick Moroney (who picked the squad with Conrad) and Smith sees his role at the tournament as a floater. "I feel like I can bat anywhere from No. 3 to 7 so it's just important to be flexible and adapt to any conditions or situation that I am faced with," he said in Newlands, where he is currently part of MI Cape Town at the SA20.

But what about his track record? Smith has played 97 T20s over 11 years, averages 29.06 and has a strike rate of 127.92, which is adequate without being eye-popping. In the last two years, his power-hitting has improved considerably and he has struck at just over 140 while in the most recent edition of the CSA T20 Challenge, it was as high as 196.05.

In that competition, Smith smashed a 19-ball 68 against an attack that included Duan Jansen, Lizaad Williams, Donovan Ferreira, Roelof van der Merwe and Dayyan Galiem to power Dolphins into the knockouts. That innings was cited in a CSA statement as making the case for Smith's T20 World Cup squad inclusion, which reads as though one knock has made Smith's summer but insiders say there is more to it.

A source close to the team told ESPNcricinfo that Smith has been picked because of the impact he could make when it matters most and they believe his boundary-hitting has levelled up. The numbers support that, as 40% of Smith's total career fours (48 out of 117) and almost half his sixes (31 out of 64) have come in the last two years and he has done extensive work on this aspect of his game.

"A couple of years ago, I worked with Neil McKenzie when he was batting consultant for CSA. We made a small technical change and it is something that I have been working and grinding at over the past few years," Smith told ESPNcricinfo. "If you watch me at training, I am always exploring and experimenting with what's the best way to be able to access and to be able to hit different balls so it's just the continuous repetition of trying to explore my power game."

The adjustment was about keeping himself steadier at the crease in order to generate more force on the ball. "He basically helped me to make sure that my front shoulder is engaged and that my contact points are not too far in front of me," Smith said. "That allowed me to make sure that my power came from my hips and that I'm not trying to over hit the ball."

That was on display in Smith's most recent knock of significance, a 14-ball 41 as MICT fell 15 runs short of chasing an SA20 record total of 233 in the tournament opener. Smith was particularly strong on the pull and waited for the short ball to arrive close to his body before putting it away.

Less than a week after that knock, Smith got a call from Moroney confirming he would be on the plane to India but was hardly in a position to show his excitement. "I was lying on the physio bed at the time. Craig Govender [the former South Africa and now MICT physio] was with me so he was the first person that I told. And then I called my fiancee and then my parents after that."

With all eyes on Smith since then, things have not really gone according to plan. He has been dismissed three times in single figures and MICT are winless and at the bottom of the points table. That perfect storm of circumstances means the scrutiny on Smith is huge, even though Stubbs is not faring much better at Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Fans also point to Smith's MICT team-mate Ryan Rickelton, who scored a century in the same game as Smith's 41, snubbing albeit Rickelton was overlooked because Quinton de Kock has returned and Tony de Zorzi has been picked.

De Zorzi's selection is also contentious, as he too only has two T20I caps and is currently out injured. He was due to play for Durban's Super Giants in the SA20 but has not recovered from the hamstring injury he picked up in India and has been replaced by Liam Livingstone. De Zorzi is expected to be fit for South Africa's home T20I series against West Indies at the end of the month, but for as long as he remains out of action, the spotlight is firmly on Smith, who faces his toughest test in the right frame of mind.

"It's my first senior World Cup and I like to think my process will stay the same. I am in a space where I'd like to enjoy my cricket and not necessarily worry about the outcomes too much and that's just something I want to take forward - soak in and enjoy every moment that I am there," he said.

That attitude may come from the road Smith had to walk to get here, which has been much longer than he may have liked. He was part of the South Africa team that won the Under-19 World Cup in 2014 and is the fourth member of that side, after Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram and Corbin Bosch, to make the senior national team.

For him, the wait was arduous but worth it. "It's been a long, hard-working journey for me and I've grown a lot as a cricketer and a person," he said. "Early on in my career, I was extremely tough and difficult, especially on myself, but I've tended to go the complete opposite way now. I'm trying to be positive and actually enjoy my cricket. I'm always looking for any sort of positive that can be taken out of any situation, whether it's somebody else doing well, somebody doing something great in the field, or somebody bowls an amazing ball. It's the little things like that that just keep me going. I think enjoying everyone's success helps you in good stead. It takes a lot off your shoulders and helps you build relationships and grow friendships that you never had before."