Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced One-Day International (ODI) squad for the upcoming three-match series against England on Tuesday, starting in Cape Town on February 4. Quinton de Kock was promoted as a skipper to lead the team.
Test and T20 captain, Faf du Plessis, was not included in a 15-member squad, along with fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.
CSA’s independent selector Linda Zondi explained that Du Plessis’ exclusion didn’t mean the end of his ODI career.
“We decided to rest Faf and Kagiso Rabada for this series because they have both played a lot of cricket,” said Zondi.
“A different squad will be picked for a T20 series against England after the one-day games, and after that, there are still T20s and ODIs against Australia,” added Zondi.
CSA has added batsmen Janneman Malan, Kyle Verreynne, and all-rounder Jon-Jon Smuts in the top 15. Among bowlers, Lutho Sipamla and Sisanda Magala have been called in, while a left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin has been included in the squad as well.
Acting director of CSA Graeme Smith showered praiseworthy comments for De Kock and termed him as the best wicket-keeper in the world.
“He has a unique outlook and manner in which he goes about his business and is tactically very street smart,” said Smith.
“We are confident that the new leadership role will bring out the best in him as a cricketer and that he can take the team forward into the future and produce results that South Africans the world over can be very proud of,” added Smith.
South Africa squad:
Quinton de Kock (captain), Temba Bavuma, Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Sisanda Magala, Janneman Malan, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lutho Sipamla, Jon-Jon Smuts, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne.
