Van der Dussen to Captain Rested South Africa in Zimbabwe T20I Tri-Series; Young Guns Get Their Chance

Rassie van der Dussen has been named captain of a revamped South African squad for the upcoming T20I tri-series in Harare, featuring New Zealand and Zimbabwe. He steps into the leadership role in the absence of regular captain Aiden Markram and several other senior players, who are being rested as part of workload management.

Rassie van der Dussen will lead SA in the absence of regular skipper Aiden Markram © Getty

The squad includes fresh faces, with Lhuan-dre Pretorius, the leading run-scorer in the recent SA20 tournament, receiving his first international call-up. Corbin Bosch, who has prior experience in ODIs and Tests, is in line to make his T20I debut. Rubin Hermann and Senuran Muthusamy, both of whom have represented South Africa in other formats, complete the list of uncapped players.

The South African side also welcomes back pacers Nandre Burger and Gerald Coetzee, both returning from long-term injuries and currently participating in MLC. Furthermore, Dewald Brevis is set to make his return to the national team after nearly two years.

This series marks Shukri Conrad's inaugural T20I assignment as the all-format coach. The tri-series is scheduled to commence on July 14, with South Africa facing Zimbabwe in the opening match. The final is set to take place on July 26.

According to Conrad, "This T20I tri-series marks the start of our preparation for next year's T20 World Cup. With several senior players rested as part of their workload management, it creates space for these players to step in and show what they can offer, and bring them into contention for World Cup selection."

Conrad further added, "Lhuan-dre and Rubin have been rewarded for their outstanding domestic form in the SA20 and we're excited to see how they adapt to the demands of international cricket. We know what Corbin has to offer at this level and we are keen to see how his Test and ODI skills will translate to the T20I arena."

South Africa Squad for T20I Tri-Series:

Rassie van der Dussen (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Reeza Hendricks, Rubin Hermann, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Andile Simelane