Four uncapped players in Proteas squad
Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Sunday named four new players in the Proteas Castle Lager squad for the three-match Momentum Cup ODI series against the New Zealand Black Caps.
They are the bizhub Highveld Lions duo of Quinton de Kock and Aaron Phangiso, Farhaan Behardien of the Nashua Titans and Rory Kleinveldt.
All four have represented the Proteas in the Proteas Blue Label Telecoms T20 squad while Kleinveldt has also been part of the Castle Lager test squad.
The selectors have decided to rest Jacques Kallis as part of the process of managing his workload. JP Duminy remains on the long-term injury list.
“We only have the three ODI matches against New Zealand plus another five against Pakistan to prepare our squad for the ICC Champions Trophy Tournament in England in the middle of the year,” commented CSA Selection Convener Andrew Hudson.
“The Champions Trophy also marks the halfway point to the next ICC World Cup so this is a critical part of our preparation to win these two major ICC events.
“We have done well in our ODI series over the past year with victories over Sri Lanka and New Zealand and a drawn series in England, so we have every confidence that this squad is on the right track.
“JP Duminy should also be fit by the time of the Champions Trophy to give us another selection option.
“The four newcomers have all been doing well, either in domestic cricket or by representing the Proteas in other formats.”
The selectors have also added Ryan McLaren of the Chevrolet Knights to the Castle Lager test squad as cover for Vernon Philander. “Rory Kleinveldt will play if Vernon is unfit,” commented Hudson, “and Ryan will provide us with cover.”
PROTEAS CASTLE LAGER ODI SQUAD:
AB de Villiers (Nashua Titans, capt), Hashim Amla (Sunfoil Dolphins), Farhaan Behardien (Nashua Titans), Quinton de Kock (bizhub Highveld Lions), Faf du Plessis (Nashua Titans), Colin Ingram (Chevrolet Warriors), Rory Kleinveldt (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Ryan McLaren (Chevrolet Knights), Morne Morkel (Nashua Titans), Robbie Peterson (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Aaron Phangiso (bizhub Highveld Lions), Graeme Smith (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Dale Steyn (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Lonwabo Tsotsobe (Sunfoil Dolphins).
