South Africa announced their T20I squad for the upcoming home series against Pakistan on Wednesday. The star wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen was named captain for the three-match series starting on December 10 in Durban.
The regular white-ball captain Aiden Makram is currently involved in the Test series against Sri Lanka and will miss the Pakistan T20Is along with star cricketers Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen.
Meanwhile, the experienced fast bowler Anrich Nortje and the star spinner Tarbaiz Shamsi are included in the T20I squad for the first time since the 2024 World Cup. The veteran Rassie van der Dussen and the rising youngster Kwena Maphaka also make the team.
"Anrich (Nortje) is very much in line for the Champions Trophy," South Africa's white-ball head coach Rob Walter said. "He has a lot of experience so playing lots of fifty-over cricket is not necessary. Before that, he will be very active in the SA20 and in this series. I am not worried about him from a playing point of view. He is not a young cricketer, he understands his game. There's enough cricket between now and then for him to be selected."
The experienced David Miller and Reeza Hendricks also make the team while there is also the place for the wicketkeeper batters Donovan Ferreira and Ryan Rickelton in the T20I team.
South Africa's T20I squad against Pakistan
Heinrich Klaasen (c), Ottneil Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Andile Simelane, Rassie van der Dussen.
On the other hand, Pakistan also announced all three squads for the South Africa tour. The star batter Babar Azam has made a return to all three formats after being dropped from the England Tests at home. However, the left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi misses out the Test series as the PCB looks to manage his workload ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
