Pieter Malan and Rudi Second were among the six unoccupied players who were named in the first two tests against the English visiting team in South Africa’s 17-man squad.
While Malan and Second have not yet played at the international level, Danes Paterson, Rassie van der Dussen, Beuran Hendricks and Dwaine Pretorius, all of whom have not yet made their test debut, have played white-ball cricket for South Africa.
“The high number of uncapped players in the squad reflects our policy to recognize players who do well at franchise level and have their hands to choose from,” said CSA-independent selector Linda Zondi.
Lungi Ngidi of the Momentum Multiply Titans and Wiaan Mulder of the Imperial Lions could not be considered because of injury while Aiden Markram of the Momentum Multiply Titans is recovering well from injury. pic.twitter.com/Ir4DglpEBg
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) December 16, 2019
“Van der Dussen, who is third according to the current four-day averages, and Pretorius, who has established itself as a leading all-rounder, are clear examples of this.
“Paterson was the second-largest wicket-taker in four-day cricket this season, including an inning with seven wickets, following the same trend, and we want to add a whole arsenal of fast bowlers to the test series, which have always provided one of our traditional strengths.
“Beuran Hendricks is also part of this strategy and adds variety to the attack as a left-handed swing bowler. Malan has been one of the most consistent franchise cricket run-scorers for many seasons. As a specialized opening batsman, he is responsible for Markram, while Second is responsible for the wicketkeeping department and himself a top-ranked batsman. “
This is not the first test for Second that should play three games against India in the away series in October. The second had made a choice with his appearances for South Africa A against India A, including a 139-Ball 94 in Bengaluru, which lifted them from 93/4 to 246. However, he was later excluded from the test series, which South Africa lost 3-0 after injuring himself during training with the senior team and had to be operated on immediately, and was replaced by Heinrich Klaasen.
Keshav Maharaj, who missed the third test against India due to a shoulder injury, and Aiden Markram, who broke his wrist during the India tour after “hitting a solid object”, are also returning to the test page. Maharaj is the only specialist in the squad. Senuran Muthusamy and Dane Piedt fell from the side that had traveled to India. Theunis de Bruyn was also left out, and all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo was called back.
Lungi Ngidi of the Momentum Multiply Titans and Wiaan Mulder of the Imperial Lions could not be considered because of injury while Aiden Markram of the Momentum Multiply Titans is recovering well from injury. pic.twitter.com/Ir4DglpEBg
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) December 16, 2019
The currently injured players who could not make the cut include the fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, who missed the Mzansi Super League final and will miss the boxing test in Centurion due to a thigh injury, and the 21-year-old Gauteng all-rounder Wiaan Mulder, who suffers from a back injury.
The selection team has also appointed an 11-man senior squad to meet the English team in a three-day tour match from December 20 to 22. South Africa and England will compete against each other in Centurion in a series of four games starting with Boxing Day. This is followed by three ODIs and just as many T20Is.
