By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Monday named the Proteas’ squads for the all-format inbound tour against India from 10 December – 7 January.
The tour, also known as the Freedom Series, will comprise three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests.
The major talking point from the squad selection is that ODI skipper Temba Bavuma will not play in the 50-over games. As was the case in recent times, Bavuma will also not form part of the T20 series. Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has also been left out for the white-ball leg of the tour.
Gerald Coetzee, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi will also miss the 3rd T20I and ODI series and will instead, together with Bavuma and Rabada, play in the round of first-class matches for their respective domestic teams from 14 – 17 December in preparation for the test series.
T20I captain Aiden Markram will captain the ODI side in Bavuma’s absence.
Meanwhile, Anrich Nortje (lower back stress fracture) and Wayne Parnell (left shoulder) were not considered for selection as they are still undergoing rehabilitation for their respective injuries.
Western Province trio Mihlali Mpongwana, David Bedingham and Nandre Burger have earned their maiden call-ups to the national set-up.
Fast bowler Burger is rewarded for his outstanding all-round form this season by being named in all three squads, while batter Bedingham is picked in the test squad. Allrounder Mpongwana, meanwhile, has been named in the ODI squad following a successful CSA Division 1 One-Day Cup campaign where he recorded his maiden List A ton and took 3/32 in the final against North West Dragons in October.
Dafabet Warriors batter Tristan Stubbs has been included in the test squad for the first time. The 23-year-old, who is already capped in both white-ball formats, impressed with his 117 for South Africa A against Sri Lanka earlier this year and most recently struck 130 against DP World Lions in the last round of CSA 4-Day Domestic Series matches.
Province wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne has been recalled to the ODI and test squads. The 26-year-old last featured for the Proteas in the test series against Australia in January and has since led Province to the One-Day Cup title and enjoyed success in this season’s four-day competition with 275 runs in three matches at an average of 68.75 and a top score of 150.
Other notable selections include Hollywoodbets Dolphins seam bowler Ottniel Baartman in the white-ball squads and DP World Lions allrounder Wiaan Mulder in the ODI and test squads.
Momentum Multiply Titans fast bowler Lizaad Williams suffered a groin strain during this past weekend’s four-day match against Province. He will undergo further medical assessments this week to determine the extent of the injury.
The T20I squad will get together in Durban on Thursday, 7 December.
PROTEAS T20I SQUAD AGAINST INDIA
Aiden Markram (captain, Momentum Multiply Titans), Ottniel Baartman (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Matthew Breetzke (Dafabet Warriors), Nandre Burger (Western Province), Gerald Coetzee (Momentum Multiply Titans, 1st and 2ndT20Is), Donovan Ferreira (Momentum Multiply Titans), Reeza Hendricks (DP World Lions), Marco Jansen (Dafabet Warriors, 1st and 2nd T20Is), Heinrich Klaasen (Momentum Multiply Titans), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), David Miller (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Lungi Ngidi (Momentum Multiply Titans, 1st and 2nd T20Is), Andile Phehlukwayo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Tabraiz Shamsi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Tristan Stubbs (Dafabet Warriors), and Lizaad Williams (Momentum Multiply Titans).
PROTEAS ODI SQUAD AGAINST INDIA
Aiden Markram (captain, Momentum Multiply Titans), Ottniel Baartman (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Nandre Burger (Western Province), Tony de Zorzi (Western Province), Reeza Hendricks (DP World Lions), Heinrich Klaasen (Momentum Multiply Titans), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Mihlali Mpongwana (Western Province), David Miller (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Wiaan Mulder (DP World Lions), Andile Phehlukwayo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Tabraiz Shamsi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Rassie van der Dussen (DP World Lions), Kyle Verreynne (Western Province) and Lizaad Williams (Momentum Multiply Titans).
PROTEAS TEST SQUAD AGAINST INDIA
Temba Bavuma (captain, DP World Lions), David Bedingham (Western Province), Nandre Burger (Western Province), Gerald Coetzee (Momentum Multiply Titans), Tony de Zorzi (Western Province), Dean Elgar (Momentum Multiply Titans), Marco Jansen (Dafabet Warriors), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Aiden Markram (Momentum Multiply Titans), Wiaan Mulder (DP World Lions), Lungi Ngidi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Keegan Petersen (Gbets Rocks), Kagiso Rabada (DP World Lions), Tristan Stubbs (Dafabet Warriors) and Kyle Verreynne (Western Province).