Peter Nevill knows he is a T20 outsider

Peter Nevill is a relic of a forgotten era, a time when Twenty20 didn't exist and wicketkeepers were picked on their glovework.

Nevill doesn't have an Indian Premier League contract.

He failed to get a game for the Melbourne Renegades during the past two Big Bash League seasons whenever fellow gloveman Matthew Wade was also available.

But the 30-year-old is Australia's best keeper and selectors felt that warranted selection in their T20 World Cup squad.

Nevill, who will make his T20 debut in Durban on Saturday (AEDT), admits such logic is rarely seen in world cricket these days.

"It's pretty fair to say that," he said.

"As a wicketkeeper, first and foremost your job is to do the work behind the stumps.

"I suppose you haven't seen much of that, to the same degree, in T20.

"I've always been a believer in wicketkeeping being your most fundamental skill but obviously you need to be able to do a job with the bat as well."

Nevill will do that his way should any clutch moments arise during Australia's World Cup campaign, which starts on March 18 in the Indian town of Dharamsala.

He had a centre-wicket striking session on Wednesday at Kingsmead, where teammate Shane Watson offered some tips on clearing the rope.

The NSW keeper failed to pepper the grandstands but was typically assiduous.

"He's one of the best at doing it, his advice was excellent," Nevill said of Watson.

There was nothing creative or crafty about any of Nevill's lofted drives at training.

Plenty of Test teammates bat with ants in their pants in the shortest format but Nevill will be keeping things simple at the crease.

"We've got a lot of hitters in our team so while trying to find the boundary (is part of it), you're also trying to get some of those guys on strike as well," he said.

Likewise, don't expect Nevill to keep with one glove or adopt any of the format's other funky ideas.

"The fundamentals are the same. Watch the ball, catch the ball. I try and keep it fairly simple," he said.

Australia's three-match T20 series against South Africa starts in Durban at 3am AEDT on Saturday.

The upcoming T20 action will also give Nevill a chance to audition for the keeping role in the ODI side.

"I'm just focused on the role that I need to do here and the role I need to do in India," he said.