Tag: Faf du Plessis

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Proteas Prepare for International Summer as SACA MVP Expands 

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PROTEAS WRAP UP NINE-WICKET SERIES CLINCHER

The Standard Bank Proteas needed just 47 minutes and 59 deliveries to score the 41 runs necessary for victory and wrap up the Castle Lager Test Series against Pakistan at PPC Newlands on Sunday. They now have a 2-0 lead in the series with the chance to make a clean sweep in the final match at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, starting on Friday.

The final margin was 9 wickets after Theunis de Bruyn, opening in place of the injured Aiden Markram, was caught behind off a top edge, attempting to hook a bouncer from Mohammed Abbas.

Hashim Amla retired hurt after taking a nasty blow on the right arm, leaving Dean Elgar and Faf du Plessis to finish the job.

Du Plessis was named Castle Lager Man of the Match for his first innings century that underpinned the Proteas decisive first innings lead.

The Sunfoil Education Trust (SET) has benefited to the tune of R422 500 from the number of fours and sixes hit and wickets taken by the two sides in the series to date with the final tally for the current match being R217 500. The players on both sides score income for the fund by hitting boundaries (R1 000) and sixes (R2 000) and taking wickets (R2 500)

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ROCKS KEEP THEIR HOPES ALIVE

Faf du Plessis struck his fourth half-century of the Mzansi Super League season to keep alive the Paarl Rocks’ hopes of reaching the playoffs with a key six-wicket victory over the Jozi Stars at Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.

There was also a perfectly weighted unbeaten 71 (55 balls, 5 fours, 1 six) from Man of the Match Grant Thomson that anchored the innings of the visitors as they chased down a 171-victory target with three deliveries to spare in Johannesburg.

Kerwin Mungroo was their unlikely hero with the ball as the lanky fast bowler grabbed a rare chance in the competition by bowling out of his skin to claim three for 29, which included the key wickets of Chris Gayle, Reeza Hendricks and Pite van Biljon.

Victory in the end for the Paarl side enabled them to climb fourth on the table, with 17 points from nine games, four behind the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants, who they will now host in a virtual shootout on Wednesday.

The Tshwane Spartans (16 points) can still catch both, but they will need to also win their remaining two games to change the order on the standings.

Defeat for the second-placed Stars, meanwhile, assured the Cape Town Blitz an automatic ticket to a home final next Sunday, with the Stars staying second on 24 points and still having some work to do in their final match against the Spartans on Tuesday.

The Jozi stars, though, will no doubt be disappointed that they did not seal their playoff berth in front of their home fans, after posting a solid 170 for six after they were put into bat first.

Their innings was built around Rassie van der Dussen’s enterprising 83 (55 balls, 6 fours, 4 sixes). This after Mungroo pegged them back at the start by dismissing Hendricks (5) and West Indian superstar Gayle (9) inside the opening 3.2 overs.

A 73-run stand between Van der Dussen and captain Dane Vilas (23) dragged the home side back into a good position, before more quick wickets threatened to derail their innings.

But support for their main batsman came through Dwaine Pretorius (28) as they set a challenging total.

The Rocks’ innings followed a similar pattern with Duanne Olivier (3/30) claiming the early wickets of Cameron Delport (15) Aiden Markram (3), leaving them on 19 for two.

However, a key 120-run stand between Du Plessis, who made 61 off 34 balls (7 fours, 2 sixes), took them too far ahead for the Stars to bring them back, even after the skipper fell, 17 not out by Dwayne Bravo helping to carry them over the line.

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MZANSI SUPER LEAGUE ANNOUNCES FINALISED T20 SQUADS

The inaugural Mzansi Super League (MSL) T20 Player Draft was held today at Montecasino in Johannesburg today.

Each team had already been allocated a Marquee Standard Bank Protea player. Today the teams made their picks from the six International Marquee Players and then filled the remaining 14 places in each squad from the foreign and South African players who had applied to enter the draft.

In the mini-round to select the International Marquee Players, the Durban heat had first call and went for Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, the No. 1 ranked bowler in the current ICC T20 rankings. They were followed by the Jozi Stars who went for Chris Gayle of the Windies. Paarl Rocks followed with another Windies player, Dwayne Bravo. Cape Town Blitz then took Dawid Malan of England followed by Tshwane Spartans with England white ball captain Eoin Morgan and Nelson Mandela Bay Giants with England opening batsman Jason Roy.

In round one proper, the Giants led off with Chris Morris, followed by the Spartans with Lungi Ngidi, the Blitz with Andile Phehlukwayo, the Rocks with Tabraiz Shamsi, the Stars with Kolpak star Dane Vilas and the Heat with David Miller.

Lutho Sipamla became the first rookie to be chosen in Round Eight by the Spartans and they followed with another rookie in Tony de Zorzi in Round Nine. Other rookies signed were Sinethemba Qeshile for the Stars, Dyllan Matthews for the Giants, Okuhle Cele for the Heat, Eathan Bosch for the Rocks, and Kyle Verreynne for the Blitz.

The resulting teams are a unique blend of both local youth and international experience which is sure to make for some very exciting cricket.

The Draft order was predetermined by a weighted Player Matrix system. The players who are eligible for the main Draft are those who entered into a binding agreement to enter the Draft.

FINAL SQUADS

(in order of Protea Marquee Player, International Marquee Player, and then the 14 draft rounds, making a total of 16 players per squad)

CAPE TOWN BLITZ: Quinton de Kock, Dawid Malan (England), Andile Phehlukwayo, Dale Steyn, Samuel Badree (Windies), Asif Ali (Pakistan), Farhaan Behardien, Anrich Nortje, Janneman Malan, Malusi Siboto, George Linde, Ferisco Adams, Jason Smith, Sibonelo Makhanya, Kyle Verreynne (rookie), Dane Piedt.

DURBAN HEAT: Hashim Amla, Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Kyle Abbott (kolpak), Keshav Maharaj, Khaya Zondo, Albie Morkel, Marchant de Lange (kolpak), Vernon Philander, Brandon Mavuta (Zimbabwe), Temba Bavuma, Morne van Wyk, Okuhle Cele (rookie), Sarel Erwee, Tladi Bokako.

JOZI STARS: Kagiso Rabada, Chris Gayle (Windies), Dane Vilas, Rassie van der Dussen, Daniel Christian (Australia), Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, Eddie Leie, Pite van Biljon, Duanne Olivier, Ryan Rickelton, Sinethemba Qeshile (rookie), Simon Harmer, Calvin Savage, Alfred Mothoa.

NELSON MANDELA BAY GIANTS: Imran Tahir, Jason Roy (England), Chris Morris, Jon-Jon Smuts, Junior Dala, Christiaan Jonker, Aaron Phangiso, Ben Duckett (England), Sisanda Magala, Ryan McLaren, Heino Kuhn, Marco Marais, Dyllan Matthews (rookie), Lizaad Williams, Rudi Second, Carmi le Roux.

PAARL ROCKS: Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo (Windies), Tabraiz Shamsi, Dane Paterson, Aiden Markram, Mangaliso Mosehle, Bjorn Fortuin, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Grant Thomson, Paul Stirling (Ireland), Tshepo Moreki, Henry Davids, Cameron Delport , Eathan Bosch (rookie), Patrick Kruger, Kerwin Mungroo.

TSHWANE SPARTANS: AB de Villiers, Eoin Morgan (England), Lungi Ngidi, Robbie Frylinck, Jeewan Mendis (Sri Lanka), Theunis de Bruyn, Rory Kleinveldt, Sean Williams (Zimbabwe), Gihahn Cloete, Lutho Sipamla (rookie), Tony de Zorzi (rookie), Dean Elgar, Andrew Birch, Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Shaun von Berg, Eldred Hawken.

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CAREER-BEST MORNE SPEARHEADS HUGE WIN FOR PROTEAS AND 2-1 SERIES LEAD

Morne Morkel came agonisingly close to his first ever 10-wicket haul as he spearheaded the Standard Bank Proteas to their second successive four-day victory over Australia at PPC Newlands on Sunday.

He took 5/23, including two wickets off successive balls, to go with his 4/87 in the first innings to give him a career-best 9/110 in the match. It was the first time he had taken 9 wickets in a Test match. He was named Sunfoil Man of the Match.

He was instrumental in Australia’s second innings collapse that saw them lose all 10 wickets for 50 runs after an opening stand of 57 between David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

The Australians had been set an improbable world record of 430 for victory following second innings half-centuries by Quinton de Kock (65 off 97 balls, 8 fours and a six) and Vernon Philander 952 not out off 79 balls, 6 fours and a six). It meant that the Proteas followed their 199 for the last four wickets in the previous Test in Port Elizabeth with 173 for the last 5 wickets this time out.

The Proteas margin of victory of 322 runs was their second largest in terms of runs margin being beaten only by the 323-runs margin in the last pre-unity series in 1970.

The Australia collapse was started by a direct hit run out by Faf du Plessis which saw the bowlers receive excellent back-up in the field. AB de Villiers and Aiden Markram both took superb catches close to the wicket while Temba Bavuma was also responsible for a run out.

While Morkel deserved the bowling plaudits there was also a fine contribution from Keshav Maharaj who, like Morkel, stood on the brink of a hat trick at one stage.

The Proteas now head to the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium for the final Sunfoil Test of the series with a 2-1 lead and the chance to score their first home series victory over Australia since unity.

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PROTEAS COMPLETE COMFORTABLE ODI SERIES CLEAN SWEEP

The Standard Bank Proteas wrapped up the Momentum ODI Series with a 200-run victory over Bangladesh in the final match at Buffalo Park in East London on Sunday. The 3-0 series victory gives them the No. 1 ICC ranking in this format for the time being.

Today’s victory was marred by the lower back injury suffered by captain Faf du Plessis, who was unbeaten on 91 at the time (67 balls, 10 fours and a six), having shared a third wicket record partnership against Bangladesh of 151 with new cap Aiden Markram.

It was all that was going to stop the South African captain recording his 9th hundred in this format. At the other end of the scale Markram looked as though he had a maiden century for the taking (66 off 60 balls, 4 fours and 2 sixes) before he ran himself out attempting a second run. By a quirk of fate he was also deprived of a Test century on debut by a run out.

Du Plessis has been ruled out of the KFC T20 International series next week with JP Duminy taking over the captaincy and Dwaine Pretorius coming in as a replacement player. AB de Villiers took up the captaincy for the balance of today’s match.

Bangladesh again paid the price for not being able to take wickets up front and not being able to get a good start themselves. The absence of Hashim Amla made little difference as Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma shared an opening stand of 119 that set up the Proteas for their best total against Bangladesh of 369/6 and they only lost 12 wickets in the entire series.

When Bangladesh batted they lost their first three wickets inside 6 overs to Kagiso Rabada and Dane Paterson and that was virtually the end of the contest. Paterson went on to finish with career best figures of 3/44 while the two new caps, Markram and Wiaan Mulder, took 3 wickets between them.

De Kock, Amla and De Villiers made almost 600 runs between them in the series with De Kock being named Momentum Man of the Series and Du Plessis Man of today’s match.

The presence of Bavuma, Markram (who took an outstanding slip catch) and Mulder certainly added youthful energy to the Proteas fielding effort.

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ELGAR AND BAVUMA KEEP ENGLAND AT BAY

Dean Elgar  was battered, bruised but unbowed but he and Temba Bavuma guided the Standard Bank Proteas to the less stormy waters of the close of play on the fourth day of the third Test match at The Oval in London on Sunday.

England nevertheless held an overwhelming advantage as they reduced the Proteas to 117/4 in pursuit of a victory target 492 from an initial 148 overs. Victory will give England a 2-1 lead in the series and will mean that they retain the Basil d’Oliveira Trophy.

At one stage it looked as though England would win the match on the fourth day after Ben Stokes back up his century in the first innings by dismissing Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis off successive balls with Bavuma coming to the crease on a hat trick.

But Bavuma, as he has had to do too often in the past, proved to be the right man to stabilize the innings in partnership with Elgar. By the close of play they had shared an unbroken stand of 65 for the fifth wicket with Elgar on 72 (111 balls, 11 fours) and Bavuma on 16 (59 balls, 1 four).

Elgar got hit on the hand several times and also on different parts of his body and, if he does go on to complete his 8th Test century, he will have earned it the hard day. This is his third half-century of the series and he has been far and away the most consistent batsman for his team. He was clearly in significant distress and many of his strokes were played almost one-handed.

He and Bavuma are certainly the best men on current form for the crisis in which the Proteas find themselves and it does pose the question as to whether Bavuma should be moved up the order for the final Test match at Old Trafford, starting on Friday.

The Proteas did a reasonable bowling job on the fourth day with Keshav Maharaj chipping away at the middle-order to take three wickets (3/50 in 13.5 overs) but the damage had already been done when England claimed a lead of 178 on the first innings and their position was consolidated by Tom Westley (59 off 141 balls, 11 fours), Joe Root (50 off 94 balls, 6 fours) and Jonny Bairstow (63 off 58 balls, 6 fours and a six).

Stokes was the pick of the England attack when it came to their turn to bowl (2/29 in an eight-over spell) but all the England bowlers proved hard to handle and the key fact is that they have been more successful than their Proteas counterparts in putting the ball in the right spot consistently.

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DU PLESSIS TO MISS OPENING TEST

Standard Bank Proteas test captain, Faf du Plessis will miss the opening Test against England at Lord’s to remain with his wife after the birth of their first child. Dean Elgar will stand in as captain, leading South Africa for the first time.

Du Plessis will rejoin the squad later in the week to prepare for the second Test at Trent Bridge which begins on July 14.

In du Plessis’ absence, South Africa look set to pick Theunis de Bruyn ahead of newcomer Aiden Markram, who was included in the squad as cover for du Plessis. De Bruyn was preferred over Markram in the tour match at New Road last week, and made his debut in South Africa’s most recent Test against New Zealand after Stephen Cook was dropped from the opening berth. De Bruyn scored 12 runs in the match and selection convener Linda Zondi confirmed that when the batsman was reconsidered for a Test spot it would not be as an opener. This is, therefore, an opportunity to blood him in the middle order.

“Theunis played the one Test match in New Zealand. There’s been a sense of fairness to players,” Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach, said. “We haven’t really discarded a player after one Test match, or two or three innings. At the moment he would be ahead in the pecking order, ahead of a guy like Aiden.”

Even if Markram is made to wait, South Africa will still have at least one newcomer to the XI come Thursday. Heino Kuhn is set to partner stand-in skipper Elgar at the top of the order which means half of South Africa’s top four will be fairly inexperienced. Hashim Amla, with 103 Test caps, will bat at No.3 with Temba Bavuma and JP Duminy at No.5 and 6 respectively.

South Africa can call on seniority in the bowling department, though. Vernon Philander was passed fit after sustaining an ankle injury during a county stint at Sussex. His availability was particularly pleasing to Domingo, who regards Philander as among the tougher prospects for batsmen.

“Vernon is a fantastic bowler for us. He is probably the hardest bowler to face in our side and when he is not there, we tend to struggle a little but because he gives us that control but also gives us the cutting edge if there is something in the wicket and also balances our side with his batting. He is a fantastic cricketer.”

Philander will form part of a three-pronged pack alongside Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel. Duanne Olivier, Chris Morris and Andile Phehlukwayo are the reserves.

With the focus on the make-up of their own XI as they “try to find out what the best combination is,” as Domingo put it, South Africa have not spent too much time weighing up their opposition. Like South Africa, England are under a new captain in Joe Root – although his is a permanent appointment – and Domingo suggested his side would look to a test a top order which continues to be juggled around.

“We haven’t looked too closely at their side. Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad, James Anderson are five seriously experienced players who are all match winners in their own right. They are a good side but they’ve also got some uncertainties,” Domingo said. “There’s a new opening batter in Keaton Jennings who has only played a handful of Tests and Gary Ballance has come back into the side. There are certain areas where they may be a little uncertain about that we want to expose.”

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RABADA TOPS ODI BOWLING RANKINGS

Kagiso Rabada, South Africa’s 22-year-old pace sensation, has leapfrogged team-mate, Imran Tahir, to become the No. 1 ODI bowler in the world. The top-two one-day bowlers aside, South Africa go into the ICC Champions Trophy with four of the top-ten batsmen in the format as well, as per the latest update to the ICC rankings. AB de Villiers leads the charts, while Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla complete the quartet.

Rabada climbed four spots following the three-match ODI series against England, in which he was the leading wicket-taker with seven wickets at 21.71 – including 4 for 39 in the third game, which helped reduce England to 20 for 6 – and an economy rate of 5.42. Overall in 36 ODI innings since his debut in July 2015, he has 64 wickets at 24.90 and an economy rate of 5.13.

Amla and de Kock were the second and third top scorers in the series, and both move up in the rankings – de Kock from No. 6 to No. 4, and Amla from eleven to ten. De Villiers retained the No. 1 spot, while du Plessis and Tahir lost some ground on the table, falling to No. 2 and No. 6 respectively.

Top-10 ODI batsmen
1 AB de Villiers, 2 David Warner, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Quinton de Kock, 5 Joe Root, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Babar Azam and Martin Guptill, 9 Kane Williamson, 10 Hashim Amla

Top-10 ODI bowlers
1 Kagiso Rabada, 2 Imran Tahir, 3 Mitchell Starc, 4 Sunil Narine, 5 Josh Hazlewood, 6 Trent Boult, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Mohammad Nabi, 9 Shakib Al Hasan, 10 Mitchell Santner

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PROTEAS WIN FINAL ENGLAND ODI

Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell cut a swathe through the England top order, taking 6/20 between them in the first five overs, as the Standard Bank Proteas coasted to a seven-wicket victory in the final match of their ODI Series at Lord’s on Monday.

It came too late to affect the outcome of the series which England won 2-1 but the visitors made an important statement ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy tournament with their opening match against Sri Lanka at The Oval on Saturday.

The other teams in their Pool are India and Pakistan.

Rabada, on his first international visit to Lord’s, had figures of 4/39 while Parnell took 3/43, the other three wickets falling to Keshav Maharaj.

What will have pleased the Proteas most, was their improved fielding with Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis – his first one was a special effort – taking two catches each in the slips at the height of the new ball onslaught on a surface that provided assistance to the seamers throughout the match.

Parnell also swung the ball effectively and his two wickets up front of Joe Root and Eoin Morgan were particularly important ones.

The recalled Jonny Bairstow stabilised the England innings with 51 before he walked down the pitch to Maharaj and was stumped by Quinton de Kock by a distance.

England’s total of 153 in 31.1 overs – the match in total only last 60 overs – was well short of par and that became evident when De Kock and Hashim Amla sharing an opening stand of 95 – easily the highest of the match. In the process Amla completed 7 000 ODI runs when he reached 23 and once again was easily the fastest to his latest landmark.

AB de Villiers, who completed the series by winning all three tosses, also achieved a landmark of 100 ODI captaincies and he and JP Duminy completed the facile victory.

Rain threatened throughout the day and the weather must be a concern for all the Champions Trophy participants. It is a very short tournament and no side will be able to afford a washout. Australia’s warm-up match against Pakistan only lasted a handful of overs and South Africa A again were only able to bat half an innings in their second warm-up match against Derbyshire.

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CSA ANNOUNCE ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY SQUAD

Left-arm spinner, Keshav Maharaj, has earned his maiden One-Day International (ODI) call-up to the 15-man Standard Bank Proteas squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, which was announced on Wednesday.

The squad will play three ODI’s against England starting with the first match at Headingley in Leeds on May 24th, before their first group match of the ICC Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka at the Oval on June 3.

The 26-year-old Maharaj has had an impressive debut season for the Test squad and comes into the squad to bolster the spin options alongside Imran Tahir.

Morne Morkel makes a return to the limited-overs format after nearly 10 months, adding experience to the pace bowling group featuring Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) convener of selectors, Linda Zondi, says the selectors have picked a strong squad which covers all of the combinations and conditions on offer for the eighth edition of the eight-team event. “We have been working with this group of players for the last two seasons where our key emphasis has been consistency in selection,” Zondi commented. “That has shown in how this group has performed over the last while, which has resulted in winning three consecutive ODI series.

“We feel we have a squad that covers every scenario that we could possibly be faced with on the tour. Most importantly, every player knows and understands their role and value within the squad.

“Keshav has had an exceptional debut season for the Test side and his inclusion in the squad gives us a spinner with different skills and extra batting depth. We have seen how important it is to bat deep in ODI cricket, this option will give us that cover if needed.” 

The squad will depart for England on May 16 and will begin their preparations with two 50-over tour matches against Sussex and Northants.
Standard Bank Proteas ODI squad for three-match ODI series against England and ICC Champions Trophy: Hashim Amla (BuildNat Cape Cobras), Quinton de Kock – wk (Multiply Titans), Faf du Plessis (Multiply Titans), AB de Villiers – captain (Multiply Titans), JP Duminy (BuildNat Cape Cobras), David Miller (VKB Knights), Chris Morris (Multiply Titans),  Wayne Parnell (BuildNat Cape Cobras), Andile Phehlukwayo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Kagiso Rabada (bizhub Highveld Lions), Imran Tahir (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Dwaine Pretorius (bizhub Highveld Lions), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Farhaan Behardien (Multiply Titans), Morne Morkel (Multiply Titans).

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PROTEAS WIN SERIES AFTER RAIN WASHES OUT FINAL DAY’S PLAY

Rain was the winner on the final day of the Standard Bank Proteas’ international season as an abandoned final day of the third Test against New Zealand meant they finished with a draw at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday.

The result also ensured South Africa won the series 1-0 thanks to their eight-wicket win in the second Test in Wellington, while it ended a dream summer – they won every series – in second place on the ICC rankings, having started it in seventh back in August last year.

But it was a disappointing end to the tour for the Black Caps after they held all the aces heading into day five, only to be denied by the weather.

Over 50 mm of rain reportedly fell in the period between stumps on day four and lunch on day five, starting with heavy overnight downpours that left the ground drenched.

Despite the rain stopping for periods, it seemed to return each time the mop-up operation was underway, leaving umpires Bruce Oxenford and Rod Tucker with little choice but to call off proceedings.

The Proteas had their backs to the wall going into the last day on 80/5 in their second innings and still trailing by 95 runs. All hope rested on captain Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock, both on 15, but they were not required to continue their innings.

 

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ELGAR LEADS PROTEAS REVIVAL

Dean Elgar struck one of the finest centuries for his country to help the Standard Bank Proteas fight back from early trouble to end day one of the first Test against New Zealand with honours even at the University Oval in Dunedin on Wednesday.
 
The left-hander showed nerves of steel as he batted through the day to end unbeaten on 128 (262 balls, 22 fours) – South Africa reaching stumps on 229/4.
 
Elgar’s seventh career century was his second-longest in terms of balls, with the highest being the 316 deliveries he faced for 127 against Australia in Perth last year. It also came on the back of the tourists being in a huge hole at the start after they slipped to 22/3 in the first 19 overs against a disciplined Black Caps attack. Faf du Plessis (52 off 118 balls, 7 fours) and Temba Bavuma (37 not out) were also integral to the recovery.
 
The visiting captain won the toss at the start and took the rare option to bat first, the first time such a decision had been made in 22 Test matches in New Zealand – the last being in a clash between the hosts and Pakistan in Wellington during 2011. But it looked a questionable call as Stephen Cook (3), Hashim Amla (1) and JP Duminy (1) were all dismissed early, the latter pair removed within the space of five Neil Wagner (2/59) deliveries.
Elgar, who was dropped by wicketkeeper BJ Watling on 36, and Du Plessis then dug in as they put on 126 for the fourth wicket to give the innings a significant boost.
 
After the skipper fell to Jimmy Neesham (1/29), Bavuma proved the perfect foil with a typically determined 101-ball knock that enabled a further 81 to be added to the total with the visitors ending the day in the ascendancy.
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PROTEAS GO 4-0 UP BUT THARANGA TAKES MATCH TO THE WIRE

Faf du Plessis played one of the innings of his life and then had to watch helplessly as Sri Lanka’s acting captain, Upul Tharanga, almost stole his thunder in a memorable fourth Momentum ODI at PPC Newlands on Thursday.

In the end the Standard Bank Proteas achieved what looked like a clear-cut win by 40 runs to go 4-0 up in the series and extend their winning home run to 13 matches but it was anything but that. Sri Lanka were right in the game until the start of the 44th over when Kagiso Rabada, as he has often done in his brief career, broke the menacing fifth wicket partnership of 79 runs between Sandun Weerakkody and Asela Gunaratne that sparked an astonishing collapse that saw Sri Lanka lose their last 6 wickets for 20 runs off 27 balls.

Earlier in the day Du Plessis had made the second highest score ever by a Proteas of 185 (141 balls, 16 fours and 3 sixes) – only Gary Kirsten has done better with his 188 against the United Arab Emirates at the 1996 World Cup – to set Sri Lanka what seemed an impossible victory target of 368, bearing in mind they had been unable to score even 200 in the preceding three matches.

Du Plessis became the 9th Protea to make a score of 150 or better although there have been 12 instances in all with Hashim Amla having achieved the feat 3 times and Herschelle Gibbs twice. Remarkably, all of the top five Protea batsmen in the current first-choice XI – Amla, Quinton de Kock, Du Plessis, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy – have now achieved this feat.

The Proteas’ total was also the highest ever at PPC Newlands and meant that they had made totals of 300 plus in back-to-back games at this venue this season. They had previously made 327/8 against Australia in the famous whitewash series last year.

If the Proteas thought they were as good as home at the halfway stage, Tharanga certainly had other ideas. He took the lead with his consistent partner, Niroshan Dickwella, in putting on exactly 100 in the 10 power play overs with 13 fours and 4 sixes. This compared with the 59/1 the Proteas had managed at the same stage. He went on to finish with 119 (90 balls, 11 fours and 7 sixes). He and Du Plessis finished with almost identical strike rates.

Tharanga is no stranger to this sort of performance. He and the legendary Sanath Jayasuriya put on 286 in 32 overs for the first wicket against England at Headingley in 2006 and then he and Mahela Jayawardene added 213 in 38.4 overs for the first wicket against India in 2013. On the former occasion the pair posted 133 in the first 10 overs!

The Sri Lankans stayed miles ahead of the required run rate and De Villiers had to turn to Wayne Parnell for his get out of jail card. The latter made a concerted short ball attack to remove both the No.3, Kusal Mendis, and Tharanga in the space of three deliveries in a spell of 2/8 in 3 overs and he was then backed up by Rabada with 1/19 in his three that included a dropped catch that went for tour.

It was clearly going to boil down to which side held their nerve better and it appeared to be going Sri Lanka’s way when the Proteas dropped another catch in the deep to prolong the fifth wicket partnership even further.

But the match turned back the Proteas’ way when Rabada struck, Imran Tahir got two wickets in his last over, Dwaine Pretorius also got one and then Parnell cleaned up the tail to finish with the figures of 4/58 that were highly impressive in the circumstances.

It was statistically at least one of the great games played at Newlands in this format and victory here would have meant more to Sri Lanka than their success in the T20 Series. They lifted their game to a new level against what was to all intents and purposes a full strength Proteas line-up.

Du Plessis was named Momentum Man of the Match but it was an evening when it could easily have been shared.

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DE VILLIERS STEPS DOWN AT TEST CAPTAIN

AB de Villiers has decided to step down as captain of the Standard Bank Proteas Test team with immediate effect.

de Villiers was appointed in January following Hashim Amla’s resignation, and led the team in two Test matches against England before injury forced him to miss the series against New Zealand and Australia at the beginning of the 2016/2017 season.

Commenting on his decision, de Villiers said: “The interests of the team must always outweigh the interests of any individual, including me. It was a fantastic honour for me to be asked to captain the Test side but I have missed two series and I am still in doubt for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. Following the squad’s outstanding performances in Australia, it is clearly in the greater interests of the team that Faf du Plessis should be confirmed as the permanent Test captain.

“I have known Faf for almost 20 years, ever since we played in the same school side at Afrikaans Hoer Seunskool, and he will have my unequivocal support if he is asked to continue leading this exciting Proteas Test team.”

de Villiers has been ruled out of the three-match Sunfoil Test series against Sri Lanka after failing to recover sufficiently from an elbow injury.

Proteas team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee, explained: “AB’s left elbow is much improved but is still regaining the last few degrees of straightening. Fitness to play requires a full range of elbow movement and this may take another 3-4 weeks to achieve.

“He will be unavailable for the Test series against Sri Lanka and will target a return for the Momentum ODI series starting at the end of January.”

De Villiers has been out of action since the Caribbean Premier League in July and was expected to be fit for the Sri Lanka Tests but still needs another three to four weeks before being declared fully fit. He will target the ODIs later in January 2017, a format in which he remains captain, for a comeback.

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VANDIAR, SIBOTO NEW ARRIVALS AT TITANS

Malusi Siboto and Jonathan Vandiar will wear the colours of The Unlimited Titans in the 2016/17 season.

The pair join from the VKB Knights and Sunfoil Dolphins respectively, while Daniel Sincuba also switches from KwaZulu-Natal to the Easterns Titans franchise.

Seam bowler Siboto, 28, has grown in leaps and bounds since his Knights debut in the 2011/12 season.

Despite a lengthy injury lay-off, the right-armer was a key part of the team for the Central Franchise last season. Siboto has over 150 first-class wickets and more than 100 in the limited-over formats. He will be joined by two former Dolphins players at the Titans.

One is batsman Jonathan Vandiar, who previously played in Gauteng with the bizhub Highveld Lions. The 26-year-old spent a few seasons at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, but failed to stake a regular place in the team.

Sincuba, also a batsman, is a franchise cricket rookie having played seven matches for the Dolphins since his debut in 2014/15.

The Titans also boast the most number of nationally contracted player with six in total. They are Test and One-Day international captain AB De Villiers, T20 skipper Faf Du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Farhaan Behardien, Morne Morkel and Quinton De Kock.

Titans squad: Qaasim Adams, Junior Dala, Henry Davids, Morne Morkel, Heinrich Klaasen, Heino Kuhn, Farhaan Behardien, Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Grant Mokoena, Albie Morkel, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, AB de Villiers, Tabraiz Shamzi, Malusi Siboto, Daniel Sincuba, Grant Thomson, Shaun von Berg, David Weise, Quinton de Kock, Rowan Richards, Jonathan Vandiar, Faf du Plessis.

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SHAMZI NAMED IN PROTEAS ODI SQUAD

 

Tabraiz Shamsi today was named as a new cap in the Proteas ODI squad for the triangular series in the Caribbean next month against hosts, the West Indies, and Australia.

The Unlimited Titans 26-year-old left-arm wrist spinner will become the 116th player to represent the Proteas in the 50 overs format.

“We have opted for three specialist spinners as we anticipate the pitches in the Caribbean to be on the slow side,” commented CSA selection committee convener, Linda Zondi. “Tabraiz has certainly earned his call-up following outstanding form both in our domestic cricket and in some of the major domestic T20 leagues including the Caribbean Premier League.

“He has shown what he can do in the T20 leagues against international batsmen. I am quite excited about the state of our spin bowling and the variety we have. We are sending two wrist spinners to the Caribbean plus left-arm and right-arm finger spin options. Spin bowling is becoming an increasingly important part of both limited overs formats and we are only just over a year away from the ICC Champions Trophy Tournament in England.

“In the short term our immediate focus must be to get back among the top ranked Test nations and for this reason we are resting Dale Steyn for this tour. He is vital to our ambitions in the longest format and he is going to have a heavy workload in the months ahead with home and away series against New Zealand, a home series against Sri Lanka and an away Test series in Australia which is where we need to perform,” explained Zondi. “He is certainly not out of the ODI picture and could well feature in the home series against Australia later this year.”

Wayne Parnell returns to the Proteas ODI squad for the first time since last year’s ICC World Cup in Australasia. “Wayne has the ability to become a quality all-rounder for us and, like Tabraiz, he is being rewarded for outstanding domestic form,” concluded Zondi.

Faf du Plessis has been included in the squad despite the current injury to his finger, and is expected to return to action for the Proteas’ second match of the triangular series. Proteas team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee explained:

“Faf sustained a broken left ring finger during the IPL two weeks ago and had fixation surgery to repair the bone tip this Tuesday in Cape Town. The surgery was a success and we are expecting a period of between four to five weeks for a full recovery. At this stage we are targeting for him to return to action for our second ODI against Australia on June 7.”

Proteas ODI squad: AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans, capt), Kyle Abbott (Warriors), Hashim Amla (Cape Cobras), Farhaan Behardien (The Unlimited Titans), Quinton de Kock (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Cape Cobras), Faf du Plessis (The Unlimited Titans), Imran Tahir (Sunfoil Dolphins), Morne Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Chris Morris (The Unlimited Titans), Wayne Parnell (Cape Cobras), Aaron Phangiso (bizhub Highveld Lions), Kagiso Rabada (bizhub Highveld Lions), Rilee Rossouw (VKB Knights), Tabraiz Shamsi (The Unlimited Titans).

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STEYN SET FOR MAIDEN CPL

Dale Steyn is set for his first Caribbean Premier League stint, having been picked by Jamaica Tallawahs to replace Lasith Malinga, who is recovering from a knee injury.

Steyn is the sixth South African signed the CPL for its third season. “There are some outstanding, world-class players signed up across all six teams,” he said, “And I’m looking forward to playing against some of my great friends and team-mates, amongst them Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, David Miller and Morne Morkel this summer. It will certainly add a nice bit of spice to the mix.

“I have seen CPL grow over the last few years and it is always a great experience playing in the Caribbean. The crowds and the atmosphere are always special and the fans really get behind their team.”

Steyn is likely to be in the region from June 3, with South Africa, Australia and West Indies scheduled to play an ODI tri-series.

The South Africans involved in the CPL will have a fairly tight turnaround before gearing up for a Test series at home against New Zealand. The CPL ends in late July while the Tests begin on August 13.

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PROTEAS DOMINATE ENGLAND AT THE BULL RING

 

The Oxigen Proteas made an emphatic statement ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 when they thrashed England by 9 wickets with all of 32 balls to spare in the second KFC T20 International match at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.

It gave the Proteas a 2-0 series win with AB de Villiers being named KFC Man of the Match and Imran Tahir the KFC Man of the Series.

England are the Proteas’ first opponents at the ICC event in India and this performance will give them extra confidence. Significantly, the Proteas won both matches batting second which is an area where they have run into problems in previous ICC events.

De Villiers (71 off 29 balls, 6 fours and 6 sixes) and Hashim Amla (69 not out off 38 balls, 8 fours and 3 sixes) set up the successful runs chase with their partnership of 125 in just 8.2 overs. It revived memories of South Africa’s record first wicket partnership of 170 between Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman, also against England, at SuperSport Park in 2009. It must have revived unwanted memories of that match for the two England survivors, Eoin Morgan and Adil Rashid.

De Villiers and Amla complement one another perfectly with their diverse styles. While De Villiers stood out for the ruthlessness of his brutality, Amla was a joy for the purists, stroking 3 fours off one over from Ben Stokes and 4 off another from Chris Jordan.

De Villiers improved his SA record for the fastest 50 from 23 balls to 21 while Amla was no slouch either with 50 off 27 balls. Their power play of 88 runs in six overs was the third highest ever achieved but the highest in a match involving two full members of the ICC.

Once they had finished with only 47 needed off the remaining 70 balls there was little left for Amla and Faf du Plessis to provide the finishing touches.

For the first time on this tour England opted to play an extra batsman and break up their successful formula of playing four front-line seamers. And their bowlers chose this match to be off colour with Reece Topley being way below his best, possibly a hangover from that last ball finish at PPC Newlands.

The extra batsman did not help England’s cause as they achieved what many would have thought impossible of being only three wickets down midway through the 17th over and then failing to bat out the full 20. A horrific collapse saw them lose 7 wickets for 14 runs and turn what looked like being a total in the region of 200 or more into a below-par 171.

This followed major stands of 50 for the second wicket between Joe Root and the consistent Alex Hales, who was one of two batsmen to be run out, and then 96 for the fourth between Morgan and Jos Buttler.

England were unlucky to lose Morgan to a run out at the non-striker’s wicket on a deflection from Kyle Abbott but this should not detract from another outstanding fielding effort from the Proteas and some excellent death bowling which saw the seamers hit the blockhole regularly.

Morgan top-scored for England, showing some belated form, with 54 off 28 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes.

Abbott was the most successful bowler with 3/26.

 

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PROTEAS ICC WORLD T20 SQUAD ANNOUNCED

 

Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) National Selection Panel on Wednesday named the 15-man Oxigen Proteas squad to compete at the ICC World Twenty20 to be played in India next month.

Rilee Rossouw and David Wiese, who missed the India series through injury, return to the squad, as does Aaron Phangiso who has been preferred to Eddie Leie as the second specialist spin bowling option.

Dale Steyn also makes a return to the squad, although his inclusion is subject to his being passed fit. Steyn was rested for the Proteas’ previous T20 assignment away to India and injury has prevented him from playing much international cricket since then.

 

The 15-man squad will also do duty in the upcoming KFC T20 International Series to be played against England and Australia during the course of the next four weeks.

 

“We have a lot of experience in this group with 10 of the players having played in the last World Twenty20 in 2014, also on the sub-continent,” commented Cricket South Africa (CSA) selection convener, Linda Zondi.

 

“The inclusion of Aaron means that we have all our spin bowling options covered with he, Imran Tahir and JP Duminy offering the different varieties. Left-arm spin bowlers tend to play big roles under Indian conditions.

 

“Dale’s return is very good news,” he added.  “He brings tremendous experience and leadership to the team, not to mention his skills as the outstanding fast bowler of his generation.”

 

Proteas coach, Russell Domingo, says the upcoming series against England and Australia will be a good opportunity for the squad to fine-tune their preparation ahead of the tournament.

 

“We take some confidence from our T20 series wins against Bangladesh and India and kept relatively the same players who have had success on the sub-continent,” Domingo said. “We have been playing good T20 cricket of late and this is our opportunity to showcase our skills at a World event. The upcoming T20 series’ against England and Australia will be the ideal platform for us to fine-tune some combinations and to hopefully gain some winning confidence ahead of the tournament next month.

 

“We are in a tough group in the tournament with England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and a qualifier. All of the top six teams on the world rankings have the skill and ability to lift the trophy so it’s a completely open competition with high stakes.” Oxigen Proteas T20 captain, Faf du Plessis, says the squad is motivated and hungry to do well in the competition.

 

“The ICC World T20 is the competition that we have been working towards over the last 18 months,” he said. “We have had disappointments in the past and this year is another great opportunity for us to lift that elusive ICC trophy. We have been playing together as a squad for some time now and are really hungry and motivated to put in the performances to bring us success. I’m really excited about the group of players who will be representing the country and hope we can make everyone proud.”

 

 

Oxigen Proteas T20 squad: Faf du Plessis (The Unlimited Titans, capt), Kyle Abbott (Sunfoil Dolphins), Hashim Amla (Cape Cobras), Farhaan Behardien (The Unlimited Titans), Quinton de Kock (The Unlimited Titans), AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Cape Cobras), Imran Tahir (Sunfoil Dolphins), David Miller (Sunfoil Dolphins), Chris Morris (The Unlimited Titans), Aaron Phangiso (bizhub Highveld Lions), Kagiso Rabada (bizhub Highveld Lions), Rilee Rossouw (VKB Knights), Dale Steyn (Cape Cobras), David Wiese (The Unlimited Titans)

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ENGLAND GO ONE UP IN ODI SERIES

Quinton de Kock played arguably the best knock by a South African opening batsman in an ODI since Herschelle Gibbs’ 175 in the famous 438 match but it was not enough to get the Castle Lager Proteas across the line in the opening Momentum ODI against England at the Mangaung Oval on Wednesday.

England won by 39 runs on the D/L method after rain stopped play with the Proteas on 250/5 in 33.3 overs in pursuit of the massive victory target of 400 after England had posted 399/9 in their 50 overs.

De Kock finished unbeaten on 138 (96 balls, 12 fours and 6 sixes) for his ninth ODI century in a match that was made memorable by the wicketkeepers on either side. Jos Buttler had played a major role in setting up the England total with his innings of 105 (76 balls, 11 fours and 5 sixes). Buttler finished with a strike rate of 138 and De Kock with one of 143. De Kock reached the landmark of 2 000 ODI runs and is the youngest South African to do so.

England won the toss and dominated the South African attack from ball one with Alex Hales, Joe Root and Ben Stokes all scoring half-centuries in support of Buttler.

When South Africa batted, De Kock and Faf du Plessis get the Proteas in the chase with a second-wicket partnership of 110 in 13.5 overs. But Moeen Ali played a key role for England in a high-scoring match by taking 3/43 in 6 overs. His wickets included the key one of AB de Villiers who fell to a brilliant one-handed boundary catch by Stokes.

De Kock was named Momentum Man of the Match.

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STEPHEN COOK JOINS PROTEAS TEST SQUAD

Cricket South Africa (CSA) today added Stephen Cook to the Castle Lager Proteas squad for the final Sunfoil Test match against England, starting at SuperSport Park on Friday.

The bizhub Highveld Lions opening batsman currently tops the Sunfoil Series batting averages with 415 runs at an average of 83 including two centuries. If he does gain selection for the final XI he will part of the first ever father and son combination to represent the Proteas in a Test match.

His father, Jimmy, played in three Test matches against India and Sri Lanka between 1992 and 1993.

“Stephen has been in excellent form this season,” commented CSA Selection Convener, Linda Zondi, and gives us another option at the top of the order.”

Castle Lager Proteas Test squad: AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans, capt), Kyle Abbott (Sunfoil Dolphins), Hashim Amla (Cape Cobras), Temba Bavuma (bizhub Highveld Lions), Stephen Cook (bizhub Highveld Lions), Quinton de Kock (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Cape Cobras), Faf du Plessis (the Unlimited Titans), Dean Elgar (The Unlimited Titans), Morne Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Chris Morris (The Unlimited Titans), Dane Piedt (Cape Cobras), Kagiso Rabada (bizhub Highveld Lions), Rilee Rossouw (VKB Knights), Dale Steyn (Cape Cobras), Stiaan van Zyl (Cape Cobras), Hardus Viljoen (bizhub Highveldl Lions).

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EVERY TEST IS IMPORTANT

Castle Lager Proteas assistant coach, Adrian Birrell, says the squad is driven and determined to turn around their performances in the fourth Freedom Series Test match against India starting at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi on Thursday. Birrell insists no extra motivation is needed to inspire the players after a deflating series loss, and that the pride and honour that comes with each Test match opportunity is enough to pump the adrenalin.

“Every Test is very important to every single player,” Birrell said in Delhi on Tuesday. “We’re representing our country and it’s another Test. Although the series is gone we’re looking to play good cricket. We haven’t played good cricket yet and we have one last opportunity to turn that around. Every single player is determined to put a good performance forward in this Test match.”

The batsmen will need to express the same fight and application shown by Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis during their 72- run partnership which lasted nearly 50 overs in Nagpur, if they are to give themselves a chance of competing against India’s spinners.  The coaches have been proactive in their preparation this tour and have tried to simulate the Indian conditions along with the off-spin, left-arm and leg-spin variations that make up India’s spin attack.

“They could have folded quite easily against a total that was really beyond us, but they showed good fight,” Birrell said. “Hopefully we can see that in the next Test, show that we’re here to fight. I liked Hashim’s words – win or lose, do it honourably. That was the case in the last Test and hopefully we’ll do that again in this Test.

“We are trying to recreate the rough in nets, taking a stump and putting it behind the footmarks, to try and replicate the match situation,” he explained.  “We have Claude Henderson, who used to bowl left-arm spin, now he throws left-arm spin, which he is very accomplished at. I used to bowl leg-spin, so I bowl from a shortened run to try and simulate Mishra, I’m not even close, but we are trying. And then we have a bunch of guys who try to deliver balls like Ashwin, so we try to make it as similar to the match.”

Dale Steyn’s availability for the match remains in doubt, with the medical team opting to make a call on Wednesday.

“He’s still nursing a bit of a groin injury,” Birrell said. “ With a fast bowler, a groin injury takes a little time to get right. We need him 100% fit before we play him in a Test match. He’ll undergo another fitness Test tomorrow so we can make sure he is 100% fit before making the decision on whether he will play on Thursday.”

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Hendricks called up upto Proteas T20 squad

CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA (CSA)  named Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras left-arm seamer, Beuran Hendricks, as a new cap in the Proteas Blue Label Telecoms squad for the KFC T20 International Series against Australia as well as the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh next month.

 

It has been a stellar month for the 23-year-old who set a record for the most wickets during the RAM SLAM T20 Challenge and has earned a contract for the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the tournament’s defending champions, the Mumbai Indians, as a result of this form.

 

The other notable addition is that of The Unlimited Titans all-rounder, Albie Morkel, who returns to the T20 squad, having played the last of his 42 T20 International matches against India in Sri Lanka during the 2012 edition of the ICC World Twenty20. He is also a veteran of 58 ODI’s, the last of which was also in 2012 in New Zealand.

 

Proteas Blue Label Telecoms squad: Faf du Plessis (The Unlimited Titans, capt), Hashim Amla (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Farhaan Behardien (The Unlimited Titans), Quinton de Kock (bizhub Highveld Lions), AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Beuran Hendricks (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Imran Tahir (bizhub Highveld Lions), David Miller (Sunfoil Dolphins), Albie Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Morne Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Wayne Parnell (Chevrolet Warriors), Aaron Phangiso (bizhub Highveld Lions), Dale Steyn (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Lonwabo Tsotsobe (bizhub Highveld Lions).

 

“Both Beuran and Albie fully deserve their selection following outstanding campaigns in the RAM SLAM T20,” commented CSA selection convener, Andrew Hudson. “As always, there are unlucky players but we feel we have chosen the right combination for the conditions we are likely to encounter on the sub-continent.

 

“Beuran’s claims could not be ignored and the experience that Albie will bring on board is important for a high profile tournament of this nature. The bulk of these players (11 out of 15) were part of our squad that won their T20 series in Sri Lanka last year under similar conditions.

 

“The Australian series will provide extremely competitive international cricket and will give our squad just the preparation they need for what we hope will be a successful campaign.”

 

Team Sponsor, Blue Label Telecoms, also sent their best wishes to the team.

 

“This is a very exciting and well led squad with significant strike power, and one which enjoys our full support and confidence for the ICC World Twenty20. We wish Faf and his team well and look forward to them returning as champions,” said Rob Fleming, Chief Marketing Officer, Blue Label Telecoms.

 

KFC T20 Internationals:

 

09 March 2014 – Axxess St Georges

12 March 2014 – Sahara Stadium Kingsmead

14 March 2014 – SuperSport Park

 

The team leaves for Bangladesh on 15 March.

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