Top batter misses out as South Africa name T20 World Cup squad

ICC T20 World Cup 2022

214

Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Tuesday (06th September) announced the Proteas’ squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia next month.

Rassie van der Dussen was the most notable omission from the squad as he continues nursing the finger injury he suffered during the second Test against England. The 33-year-old is expected to undergo surgery and will be out of action for at least six weeks.

In some good news for South Africa, captain Temba Bavuma has recovered completely from the elbow injury he sustained during the T20I series against India in June and is set to lead the Proteas in a second World Cup in a row.

Rilee Rossow, who made his return to the South Africa T20I setup after a gap of six years in July, also finds a place in the squad.

The same 15-member squad is set to travel to India for the three-match T20I series later this month ahead of the World Cup.

Speaking on the squad selection, CSA Convenor of Selectors Victor Mpitsang said: “This has been a really tough squad to select, simply because we had so many players in excellent form over the past few months and performing at a level that made the selectors sit up and notice them.

“Someone like Tristan Stubbs who was not in the frame a year ago has done incredibly well to force his way into the mix based on his performances and his selection should be an inspiration for every young player out there. We are also delighted to welcome back our captain Temba Bavuma from injury and we have no doubt his return will further galvanise the team.

“This group of players showed off their brilliant skill and talent when they overcame England in England recently. These sort of performances only bode well for us heading to the World Cup. Overall we are delighted with mix of players that have been chosen and look forward to watching them represent the country in Australia.”

Squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, Reeza Hendricks, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rillee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.

Reserves: Bjorn Fortuin, Marco Jansen and Andile Phehlukwayo.