Temba bavuma in action for SA
South Africa announced the squad for the country's tour to India for playing five-match series.
The 16-member contingent will be led by Temba Bavuma as South Africa make a return to international T20 cricket for the first time since the ICC T20 World Cup in late 2021.
The T20 rubber against the Proteas will start in the national capital on June 9 with the remaining matches being held at Cuttack, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot and Bengaluru respectively.
Tristan Stubbs received a maiden call-up, while Wayne Parnell made a comeback after five years.
The 21-year-old Stubbs, who impressed in the past season while playing for the Gbets Warriors in the Cricket South Africa (CSA) T20 Challenge, scored 293 runs in seven innings, at an average of 48.83 including 23 sixes.He was also part of the South Africa 'A' team to Zimbabwe before he was summoned by the Mumbai Indians for the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Parnell is set to make a comeback to the T20 set up for the first time since South Africa's tour of England in 2017.
Anrich Nortje, who has been recovering from a hip injury since December last year has made it to the selection list too. Nortje who is playing for Delhi capitals in the ongoing IPL has been medically cleared for return.
Besides, Keshav Maharaj and number one men's T20I bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, the rest of the South African team consists of IPL players, namely, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen and Marco Jansen.
The Indian squad for the SA series is likely to be selected on May 22, the last day of the league phase of this edition of IPL in Mumbai.
"This is the Proteas like we have not seen them in a long time. The injection of the IPL players means that we will have a team that's ready to fire on all cylinders immediately and has vast experience of the conditions that we will be playing in," Cricket South Africa Convenor of Selectors, Victor Mpitsang said in a statement.
"Tristan Stubbs is an exciting prospect and we're keen to see what he's made of and we are looking forward to the return of the experience of Reeza (Hendricks), Klaasie (Heinrich Klaasen) and Wayne Parnell to join the likes of Temba (Bavuma), Tabraiz (Shamsi) and Keshav (Maharaj). The country can also join us in a collective sigh of relief at the return of Anrich Nortje, who has been working hard to recover from a frustrating injury."
South Africa T20 team: Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen.
(Inputs from PTI)
