Abbott, Shezi keep SA places

Times Media

TELFORD VICE, Cape Town

VERNON Philander’s and Beuran Hendricks’ loss will be Kyle Abbott’s and Mthokozisi Shezi’s gain in SA’s triangular one-day series against Zimbabwe and Australia, which starts in Harare on Monday.

Philander and Hendricks have been ruled out with hamstring and back injuries. Abbott and Shezi, who were part of the squad that completed a 3-0 ODI series whitewash of the Zimbabweans in Bulawayo on Thursday, have cracked the nod instead.

Also still in the mix is Rilee Rossouw - despite being run out off the first ball he faced in international cricket on Thursday.

Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, who were rested for the Zimbabwe series, return as expected. Steyn will do so bearing the scars of a fishing lure hooking his leg during his time off.

The only casualty, in a cricket sense, from the squad that were far too strong for Zimbabwe is Marchant de Lange - even though he took three of Zimbabwe’s better wickets on Thursday.

SA squad: AB de Villiers (captain), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Rilee Rossouw, Mthokozisi Shezi, Dale Steyn.