South Africa will hand the captaincy reins back to AB de Villiers for their T20 International series against England with regular skipper Faf du Plessis and a host of other stars to miss.
De Villiers, captain of South Africa’s one-day international side, will stand in for the three-match T20 series as du Plessis flies home for the birth of his first child, following the Proteas’ elimination from the Champions Trophy.
Du Plessis will return to the United Kingdom for the ensuing four-Test series against England in a straight swap back with de Villiers, who’s on a self-imposed break from the longest format.
Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada and JP Duminy also don’t feature in the 14-player squad for the T20 series, wit matches to be played on June 21, 23 and 25 immediately following the conclusion of the Champions Trophy.
“I would like to thank Farhaan Behardien for leading the side so ably in the recent series against Sri Lanka,” Cricket South Africa selector Linda Zondi said in a statement.
“We are indeed fortunate in the quality of our team leaders, and Farhaan remains very much part of this group.”
Dwayne Pretorious is the only uncapped player in the squad for the series featuring matches in Southampton, Taunton and Cardiff.
“We have also been impressed as a panel by the quality of players coming through our franchise and South Africa A system,” Zondi continued.
“We are ready to give further opportunities to Andile Phehlukwayo, Mangaliso Mosehle, Jon-Jon Smuts and Dane Paterson – who all made their debuts in the recent series against Sri Lanka.
South Africa T20I squad for England series: AB de Villiers (c), Farhaan Behardien, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Mangaliso Mosehle, Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi, Jon-Jon Smuts.
