South Africa Announces Squad For The Champions Trophy

Apr 19, 2017 at 4:55 PM

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South Africa Announces Squad For The Champions Trophy

Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj and Morne Morkel were a couple of interesting inclusions in the 15 man squad announced by the Cricket South Africa (CSA) for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy scheduled in England. Fast bowling spearhead Dale Steyn and Tabraiz Shamsi were the only notable exclusions from the touring party.

The side picked by the CSA selectors looks mighty strong. This bunch of players are set to prepare themselves for the multi-nation tournament with a three-match ODI series scheduled against England which commences with the first match at Leeds on May 24th. The side will be led by Ab de Villiers.

The selector has stated that they kept every aspect and possible scenarios in their mind when picking the team. This approach has resulted in a perfectly balanced squad ready to tour England.

Back issues disrupted AB de Villiers’ appearance in the past but he has been deemed perfectly fit. Apart from De Villiers, Hashim Amla, Faf Du Plessis and David Miller form the core of batting.

Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who has been impressive in the Test format for South Africa, has also earned his maiden limited-overs call whereas Morne Morkel is set to return after missing out on the cricketing action for close to 10 months. Kagiso Rabada will be sharing the new ball with Morne while Imran Tahir is the other spin option available.

The most exciting factor, however, is the room made for the all-rounders. The presence of JP Duminy, Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Andile Phelukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius and Farhaan Behardien straightforwardly means De Villiers has a lot of option at his disposal and fans can see a great variety in the XIs.

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.

Here is the 15 man squad:

Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (c), JP Duminy, David Miller, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Keshav Maharaj, Dwaine Pretorius, Farhaan Behardien, Morne Morkel.

 

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