New players in South Africa Cricket squad
South Africa's cricket selectors on Friday named a good 21-gentleman squad for just two Tests in Pakistan, beginning in Karachi on January 26.
The squad includes two fast bowlers, Daryn Dupavillon and Ottneil Baartman, who've not yet played at Test level. Dupavillon provides played in a single one-day international.
The pair effectively replace fellow fast bowlers Glenton Stuurman and Migael Pretorius, who were in South Africa's squad for the recent Test series against Sri Lanka but who suffered injuries and needed to be released. Also included is normally Kagiso Rabada, South Africa's leading quickly bowler, who missed the Sri Lanka series due to injury.
Also named were two extra spin bowlers in left-armers George Linde and Tabraiz Shamsi.
"Considering that the conditions that will be faced are largely unknown south African team, we wished to strengthen the strike," stated selection convener Victor Mpitsang.
According to a affirmation from Cricket South Africa, the team will depart for Pakistan on a commercial flight on January 15 and will spend an interval in quarantine in Karachi prior to starting a programme of training and intra-squad matches. A number of the players will take part in domestic one-day fits in the week before departure with the domestic clubs currently in a bio-secure environment in Potchefstroom, where all of the suits will be played.
Baartman and batsmen Keegan Petersen and Sarel Erwee will be the only players who have yet to appear in an international match, although Petersen might be part of a good South African squad for the 3rd time.
It'll be South Africa's first tour of Pakistan since 2007/08, although Faf du Plessis captained a global XI in 2017 found in the first high-account international cricket in that country since a good bus containing the Sri Lankan staff was attacked found in Lahore in '09 2009.
Head coach Tag Boucher made 3 tours of Pakistan as a player, with Southern Africa winning several and losing among the Test series.
A separate squad will be announced in a few days for three Twenty20 internationals which will follow the Tests.
Southern African Test squad: Quinton de Kock (captain), Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Kagiso Rabada, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie van der Dussen, Anrich Nortje, Wiaan Mulder, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Kyle Verreynne, Sarel Erwee, Keegan Petersen, Tabraiz Shamsi, George Linde, Daryn Dupavillon, Ottniel Baartman.
