Dean Elgar, who last played a One-Day International in 2015, has been included in the South Africa squad for the three-match home series against Zimbabwe, Cricket South Africa announced on Tuesday (September 25).
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The left-hander will replace Hashim Amla, who is struggling with a finger injury. Faf du Plessis too will not feature in the series having not made significant progress from his shoulder injury and the onus of leading the side will, for now, rest with JP Duminy.
“Hashim sustained a tear to the tendon in his left fifth digit while fielding during the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League. The injury will need up to three weeks to heal making him unavailable for the series against Zimbabwe,” team manager Mohammed Moosajee confirmed. “The CSA medical committee has also withdrawn Faf from the ODI series. He has not made a satisfactory recovery from his shoulder injury and has been given more time to make a complete recovery. We are hopeful he will be fit enough to return to lead the T20 side for the three-match series against Zimbabwe.”
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Elgar’s last appearance in limited-overs cricket was against India in Mumbai in 2015. He has only just 98 runs in 6 matches at an average of 24.50, with 42 being his highest. National Selection Panel convener Linda Zondi hoped Elgar will be able to add value to the team with his experience. “We have said that the Zimbabwe series is an opportunity to further explore our ODI options and the unfortunate injury to Hashim gives us an opportunity to see what Dean is capable of in the limited-overs format. He has always been on our radar having put in consistent performances both in South Africa and the UK, and brings a wealth of valuable experience to the batting group in Hashim and Faf’s absence,” he pointed out.
The team management has also decided to release Keshav Maharaj from the side for the first round of the four-day fixture against Titans. The series starts on September 30 and will be followed by a three-match T20I series.
Squad: Dean Elgar, JP Duminy (c), Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Christiaan Jonker, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, Willem Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Khaya Zondo.
