Notable absences from the white-ball series include Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada, who want to recuperate from their demanding World Cup campaign and concentrate on the high-stakes Test match against India, which begins on December 26.
Cricket The men’s squads for South Africa’s all-format series versus India, which starts on December 10, 2023, and ends on January 7, 2024, have been announced. There will be two Test matches, three ODIs, and three T20Is between the two teams. The three uncapped players, David Bedingham, Nandre Burger, and Mihlali Mpongwana, have merited their first-ever national call-ups. Batsman Bedingham has made it into the Test squad, but Pacer Burger has been picked in all three squads.
The ODI team includes all-rounder Mpongwana, who excelled in all areas during the championship game in a Division 1 event in October. For the first time, South Africa’s Test team includes Tristan Stubbs, the player who has gained notoriety due to his IPL stints. The 23-year-old has already represented South Africa in ODI and T20I cricket, struck a century earlier this year for South Africa A against Sri Lanka, and established himself in red-ball cricket. Moreover, wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, who last played in a Test match against Australia earlier this year, has been called up to the ODI and Test squads.
In addition, to prepare for the Test series, Gerald Coetzee, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi will play in a series of first-class matches alongside Bavuma and Rabada instead of the third T20I and ODI series. In lieu of Bavuma, T20I skipper Aiden Markram will lead the ODI team.
Last Saturday, during a first-class encounter against Province, fast bowler Lizaad Williams strained his groin. More medical evaluations will be performed on him to ascertain the full severity of the injuries. In the meantime, due to their ongoing injury recovery, Wayne Parnell (left shoulder) and Anrich Nortje (lower back stress fracture) were not given consideration for selection.
T20I squad: Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi (1st and 2nd T20Is), Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, and Lizaad Williams. Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee (19th and 20th T20Is).
ODI team: David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams, Aiden Markram (captain), Ottniel Baartman, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Mihlali Mpongwana, and Wiaan Mulder
Temba Bavuma (captain), Tristan Stubbs, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, David Bedingham, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, and Kyle Verreynne make up the test team.
“After an excellent overall showing at the recently concluded ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, we want to capitalise on that momentum and continue building on our core group during this Freedom Series.” stated Rob Walter, the white-ball coach for South Africa.
“We have decided to leave out a few of our older players due to our hectic summer schedule, which includes the T20Is and ODIs against India. Together with coach Shukri [Conrad], we made this decision because we want to focus on the red-ball leg of the tour, which means they will play domestic cricket to get ready for the Test series. Having said that, the relocation has made it possible for those who have been excelling at home to be called up.
“We are excited to see what players like Donovan Ferreira, Mihlali Mpongwana, and Nandre Burger, who leads the One-Day Cup in wickets taken, can accomplish. It’s intriguing to watch how Wiaan Mulder and Ottniel Baartman, two more people who have returned to the national team, will fare.
“We are anticipating a very good series against a strong India team and cannot wait to get started in Durban on Sunday.”
“It is the beginning of a new ICC World Test Championship cycle and that in and of itself is a huge incentive for everyone,” Test head coach Conrad continued. Since we are facing one of the top teams in the world at home, we want to make sure that we get off to a solid start in this series.
“We can choose from a nearly full-strength roster, which is a huge plus for us. Additionally, numerous fresh and promising players have joined the Test squad for the first time, including David Bedingham, Nandre Burger, and Tristan Stubbs. After making a successful comeback to their unions, a few more people have also joined the fold.
“Overall we believe this group has all the attributes to deliver on our objective, which is to maintain our proud record against India in South Africa.”
India
