Times Media
TELFORD VICE, Cape Town
Selection convenor Andrew Hudson put a creative kink in SA’s World Cup planning on Tuesday by naming a T20 squad significantly short on star players. And that’s not all: the side will be captained by JP Duminy.
Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel are notable absentees from the 14 who will play three T20 against Australia in November. In their places are uncapped Reeza Hendricks and Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw - fresh from making his one-day debut in Zimbabwe last month - Farhaan Behardien and David Wiese.
The games are orphaned between three ODIs in New Zealand and five more in Australia. So, rest the big guns for the short, sharp stuff while putting a glimmer of hope in the eyes of those who have ambitions of forcing their way into the 2015 World Cup squad.
“It’s a great opportunity for guys to stake a claim in the Proteas squad,” Duminy said on Tuesday. “Who knows - a few injuries here and there over the next few months and a few opportunities might arise.”
With most of SA’s other established batsmen out of the way, the T20 series is a chance for Duminy to hone his on-field relationship with David Miller - a potentially matchwinning partnership that is often not exploited fully because the men who come in earlier do more than their fair share of the run-scoring.
As SA’s No. 5 and 6, Duminy and Miller faced 135 and 15 balls respectively in the triangular series in Zimbabwe in August and September. But Amla was at the crease for 234 deliveries, Du Plessis for 471 and De Villiers for 184. At least Duminy saw more gametime than Quinton de Kock, who faced 110 balls.
“You’re always going to be in pressure moments to try and win a game, especially in terms of where myself and David bat,” Duminy said. “The more we can be put in those positions and be successful, the better for us.”
The importance of pressure was also on Hudson’s mind, but not in the same way.
“The one thing about exposing youngsters to the team is that you put pressure on some of the existing guys,” Hudson said on Tuesday.
Even so, Hudson stood by his assertion that SA’s World Cup squad was “almost finalised, barring one or two injuries” by making just one change to the ODI squad that will go to New Zealand this month and to Australia the next. Vernon Philander, who has recovered from a hamstring problem, replaces Mthokozisi Shezi.
“(Coach) Russell (Domingo) and his team have done a fantastic job and the tour to New Zealand and Australia is just to continue that work and to refine,” Hudson said. “There may be a little discussion around positions and the final balance of the (World Cup) side.”
There are many ways to throw down the gauntlet to players with their eye on the prize of a place in a World Cup squad. That’s one of them.
SA squads:
ODI: 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, Vernon Philander, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn.
T20: JP Duminy (captain), Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Marchant de Lange, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, David Wiese.
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