By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@GalloImages.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) named the squads for the white-ball tour against Australia. Titans and former SA U19 batter Dewald Brevis earns his maiden call-up to both the T20 International (T20I) and One-Day International (ODI) squads.
The Proteas will compete in three T20Is at Kingsmead and five ODIs against the Aussies from 30 August to 17 September.
The 20-year-old has impressed in T20 leagues around the world and currently holds the record for the highest individual domestic T20 score in South Africa – 162 off 57 balls – which he struck during last season’s CSA T20 Challenge.
Brevis also enjoyed some success in the recent SA ‘A’ tour to Sri Lanka, where he hit a 71-ball 98 in the first unofficial 50-over match.
Joining Brevis in the T20I squad for the first time are his Titans teammate, Donovan Ferreira, and Warriors’ batter Matthew Breetzke.
Meanwhile, Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada are rested for the T20I series and will return for the ODI series in the build-up to this year’s Cricket World Cup in India.
The 15-player squad for the World Cup will be announced on 5 September.
Commenting on the selection, white-ball head coach Rob Walter said: “We are looking for opportunities to grow our base of players, and the T20I series against Australia is a perfect chance to give some of the rising cricketers in the country the chance to show us what they are capable of.”
“For this reason, we have included players such as Dewald, Donovan and Matthew. These are guys that have been performing consistently week in and week out domestically so we are now looking forward to seeing what they can do at the next level. They also possess a particular skill set that fits into the way we are looking to play the game moving forward.
“We are also happy to welcome back Keshav. He has made significant progress and is ahead of where we expected him to be at this point in time with his recovery and so we’ve included him in the squads to give him the best chance to be available for selection for the World Cup squad.
Director of Cricket Enoch Nkwe added: “This is a really exciting time for all South Africans; the World Cup is on the horizon and India awaits. I think every single one of the players that have been selected deserve full credit for making the squads.
“They have worked incredibly hard to get to this point and this tour against a strong Australia side will provide us the perfect preparation for what is to come over the coming months. I am sure it will be a very hard-fought tour against one of the world’s best teams.”
Proteas T20I squad against Australia:
Aiden Markram (captain, Titans), Temba Bavuma (Lions), Matthew Breetzke (Warriors), Dewald Brevis (Titans), Gerald Coetzee (Titans), Donovan Ferreira (Titans), Bjorn Fortuin (Lions), Reeza Hendricks (Lions), Marco Jansen (Warriors), Sisanda Magala (Lions), Keshav Maharaj (Dolphins), Lungi Ngidi (Titans), Tabraiz Shamsi (Titans), Tristan Stubbs (Warriors), Lizaad Williams (Titans) and Rassie van der Dussen (Lions)
Proteas ODI squad against Australia:
Temba Bavuma (captain, Lions), Dewald Brevis (Titans), Gerald Coetzee (Titans), Quinton de Kock (Titans), Bjorn Fortuin (Lions), Reeza Hendricks (Lions), Marco Jansen (Warriors), Heinrich Klaasen (Titans), Sisanda Magala (Lions), Keshav Maharaj (Dolphins), Aiden Markram (Titans), David Miller (Dolphins), Lungi Ngidi (Titans), Anrich Nortje (Warriors), Tabraiz Shamsi (Titans), Wayne Parnell (Western Province), Kagiso Rabada (Lions), Tristan Stubbs (Warriors), and Rassie van der Dussen (Lions)
T20I Series
Wednesday, 30 August – 18:00 – South Africa vs Australia at Kingsmead Stadium, Durban
Friday, 01 September – 18:00 – South Africa vs Australia at Kingsmead Stadium, Durban
Sunday, 03 September – 14:00 – South Africa vs Australia at Kingsmead Stadium, Durban
ODI Series
Thursday, 07 September – 13:00 – South Africa vs Australia at Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
Saturday, 09 September – 13:00 – South Africa vs Australia at Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
Tuesday, 12 September – 13:00 – South Africa vs Australia at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
Friday, 15 September – 13:00 – South Africa vs Australia at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sunday, 17 September – 10:00 – South Africa vs Australia at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.