Hashim Amla will captain South Africa in this month’s limited-overs series against Australia, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on Monday.
Opening batsman Amla, who will lead South Africa in two Twenty20 internationals and three one-dayers against the touring Australians, will deputise for AB de Villiers who misses the series due to a fractured finger.
Veteran wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, left out of the Proteas cricket World Cup squad this year, returns to the one-day squad and 23-year-old batsman Richard Levi was the only uncapped player included.
“With the International Cricket Council’s World Twenty20 less than a year away we need to keep a solid core of experience around the side,” CSA selection convener Andrew Hudson said in a statement.
“But at the same time we want to give younger players a run as well and this certainly applies in the case of Richard Levi and (the recalled) David Miller,” he added.
Amla, 28, has only played three T20 internationals and he will have to make do without experienced all-rounder Jacques Kallis and fast bowler Dale Steyn.
“We have left Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn out of the T20 squad as part of our rotation policy…we have a lot of cricket ahead of us, not just this season, but also in the next off-season with the tour to England as well as the World Twenty20 and we must manage our senior players sensibly,” Hudson said.
Boucher’s one-day career looked to be over when he was omitted from the World Cup squad but the injury to De Villiers, who was set to keep wicket, has given the 34-year-old another opportunity.
“We will probably go in with seven batsmen, including Boucher at No. 7, and we have kept all our bowling options that worked well at the World Cup,” Hudson said.
The selectors have kept faith with opening batsman Graeme Smith who stepped down as limited-overs captain after the World Cup.
The series against Australia will be the first under new coach Gary Kirsten who guided India to World Cup glory in March.
The limited-overs portion of Australia’s tour starts with a T20 international in Cape Town on Oct. 13 and ends with an ODI in Durban on Oct. 28.
ODI squad – Hashim Amla (capt), Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, JP Duminy, Francois du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
Twenty20 squad – Hashim Amla (capt), Johan Botha, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Heino Kuhn, Richard Levi, David Miller, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Graeme Smith, Juan Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
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