By Revatha S. Silva
[caption id="attachment_155091" align="alignleft" width="280"]
Wanindu Hasaranga is current no. 2 bowler in world's T20I cricket[/caption]
Cricket South Africa (CSA) yesterday (12) announced their One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) squads for the tour of Sri Lanka that is set to commence on 2 September.
Temba Bavuma will lead South Africa in the three ODIs and three T20Is, to be held between 2 and 14 September at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.
Two in-form sides
The Sri Lanka white-ball team, which showed a marked improvement in their previous series against India, under new Captain Dasun Shanaka, displayed clear signs of change in their destiny, after an array of losses and rock-bottom performance during the last couple of years.
Notably, former South Africa Captain and in-form wicket-keeper bat Quinton de Kock, as well as their aggressive left-handed middle-order batsman David Miller, have been rested for the ODI leg of the Sri Lanka tour. Yet they are to return for the subsequent T20Is.
Another notable absentee in the ODI leg of the series will be their prominent fast bowler Lungi Ngidi.
Sri Lanka yet to name squad
Miller is currently recovering from a hamstring injury that he suffered during their preceding Ireland series but is expected to be fit in time to play the T20Is, which begin on 10 September.
Sri Lanka are yet to name their squad for the series as they are currently involved in a four-team Invitational T20 League in Pallekele, organised by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), as a means preparation for the forthcoming white-ball series of the year, including the T20I World Cup coming up in October.
Pretorius returns
[caption id="attachment_155092" align="alignleft" width="279"]
South Africa's bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, world's no. 1 in T20Is[/caption]
After missing the tours of West Indies and Ireland, the 32-year-old fast-bowling all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius is set to return for South Africa and has been named in both squads.
Junior Dala, who last played an ODI for the Proteas in 2018, also returns to the squad to cover up for Ngidi’s absence from the very first leg of the tour.
The T20I series will be key for both teams to test their preparedness for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup, to be staged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman from 17 October to 14 November.
CSA Convenor of Selectors excited
“The (South Africa) selection panel is pleased to announce the squads that will go to Sri Lanka at the end of this month,” Victor Mpitsang, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Convenor of Selectors, was quoted as saying by icc-cricket yesterday.
“After the white-ball teams’ successes in the West Indies and Ireland, we are excited to have them back in action and continuing their preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup later this year,” Mpitsang had added.
South Africa vs. West Indies
South Africa beat the West Indies 3-2 at Grenada, under Bavuma, in a five-match T20I series on 3 July this year.
Left-arm wrist-spin or a “chinaman” bowler of the current Protea team, Tabraiz Shamsi was adjudged the Player of the Series against the Windies as he took seven wickets in the five games at 11.42. The world’s No.1 T20I bowler at the moment, Shamsi gave away only four runs an over in the series.
De Kock was, by far, the best batsman of the series with an aggregate of 255 runs at 51, including three fifties, with an amazing strike-rate of an over 141 runs.
Against Ireland
Later in July, Ireland could square their three-match ODI series against South Africa at 1-1 in Dublin by shocking the latter with a 43-run victory in the second match. The first one was abandoned due to bad weather.
Yet on 24 July, South Africa recorded a 3-0 whitewash in Belfast in the T20I leg of their Irish tour with David Miller top-scoring with 139 runs in the series, dismissing only once in three innings. Again, Shamsi came to the fore with the ball with a table-top seven scalps at a fine average of 5.85 runs per a wicket.
The next month’s white-ball series in Colombo will most likely be a stunning display of left and right arm leg-spin bowling by the world’s best two T20 bowlers at present, Shamsi and No. 2 in current charts, Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga.
‘A challenging tour’
“With the many Covid-19-induced bio-bubbles that the touring squads have had to endure, it is pleasing to have the majority of our players available for action and we look forward to watching them in the very different conditions of Sri Lanka,” CSA Convenor of Selectors Mpitsang had said.
“I would like to wish Temba Bavuma and Mark Boucher (their Head Coach) all the best for what we know will be a challenging tour, but we have every confidence in the squads selected and the leadership behind them.”
Wanindu Hasaranga is current no. 2 bowler in world's T20I cricket[/caption]
Cricket South Africa (CSA) yesterday (12) announced their One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) squads for the tour of Sri Lanka that is set to commence on 2 September.
Temba Bavuma will lead South Africa in the three ODIs and three T20Is, to be held between 2 and 14 September at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.
Two in-form sides
The Sri Lanka white-ball team, which showed a marked improvement in their previous series against India, under new Captain Dasun Shanaka, displayed clear signs of change in their destiny, after an array of losses and rock-bottom performance during the last couple of years.
Notably, former South Africa Captain and in-form wicket-keeper bat Quinton de Kock, as well as their aggressive left-handed middle-order batsman David Miller, have been rested for the ODI leg of the Sri Lanka tour. Yet they are to return for the subsequent T20Is.
Another notable absentee in the ODI leg of the series will be their prominent fast bowler Lungi Ngidi.
Sri Lanka yet to name squad
Miller is currently recovering from a hamstring injury that he suffered during their preceding Ireland series but is expected to be fit in time to play the T20Is, which begin on 10 September.
Sri Lanka are yet to name their squad for the series as they are currently involved in a four-team Invitational T20 League in Pallekele, organised by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), as a means preparation for the forthcoming white-ball series of the year, including the T20I World Cup coming up in October.
Pretorius returns
[caption id="attachment_155092" align="alignleft" width="279"] South Africa's bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, world's no. 1 in T20Is[/caption]
After missing the tours of West Indies and Ireland, the 32-year-old fast-bowling all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius is set to return for South Africa and has been named in both squads.
Junior Dala, who last played an ODI for the Proteas in 2018, also returns to the squad to cover up for Ngidi’s absence from the very first leg of the tour.
The T20I series will be key for both teams to test their preparedness for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup, to be staged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman from 17 October to 14 November.
CSA Convenor of Selectors excited
“The (South Africa) selection panel is pleased to announce the squads that will go to Sri Lanka at the end of this month,” Victor Mpitsang, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Convenor of Selectors, was quoted as saying by icc-cricket yesterday.
“After the white-ball teams’ successes in the West Indies and Ireland, we are excited to have them back in action and continuing their preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup later this year,” Mpitsang had added.
South Africa vs. West Indies
South Africa beat the West Indies 3-2 at Grenada, under Bavuma, in a five-match T20I series on 3 July this year.
Left-arm wrist-spin or a “chinaman” bowler of the current Protea team, Tabraiz Shamsi was adjudged the Player of the Series against the Windies as he took seven wickets in the five games at 11.42. The world’s No.1 T20I bowler at the moment, Shamsi gave away only four runs an over in the series.
De Kock was, by far, the best batsman of the series with an aggregate of 255 runs at 51, including three fifties, with an amazing strike-rate of an over 141 runs.
Against Ireland
Later in July, Ireland could square their three-match ODI series against South Africa at 1-1 in Dublin by shocking the latter with a 43-run victory in the second match. The first one was abandoned due to bad weather.
Yet on 24 July, South Africa recorded a 3-0 whitewash in Belfast in the T20I leg of their Irish tour with David Miller top-scoring with 139 runs in the series, dismissing only once in three innings. Again, Shamsi came to the fore with the ball with a table-top seven scalps at a fine average of 5.85 runs per a wicket.
The next month’s white-ball series in Colombo will most likely be a stunning display of left and right arm leg-spin bowling by the world’s best two T20 bowlers at present, Shamsi and No. 2 in current charts, Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga.
‘A challenging tour’
“With the many Covid-19-induced bio-bubbles that the touring squads have had to endure, it is pleasing to have the majority of our players available for action and we look forward to watching them in the very different conditions of Sri Lanka,” CSA Convenor of Selectors Mpitsang had said.
“I would like to wish Temba Bavuma and Mark Boucher (their Head Coach) all the best for what we know will be a challenging tour, but we have every confidence in the squads selected and the leadership behind them.”