PROTEAS convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson and coach Gary Kirsten have taken some gambles when choosing their 15- man squad for next month’s ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales.
Left-handed batsman JP Duminy was included despite still not being 100% recovered from a ruptured Achilles tendon, while opening bat Graeme Smith is struggling with a chronic ankle injury.
There is also no back- up wicketkeeper in the squad of eight batsmen, five seam bowlers and two spinners that Hudson announced at Newlands yesterday.
To further complicate the situation, all-rounder Jacques Kallis declared himself unavailable for the tournament, for “personal reasons”.
“JP is well on the way to a full recovery,” Hudson said.
“The latest information is that he will be fully fit to play his part in all three disciplines by the end of the month. He is a very experienced limited-overs cricketer and we don’t anticipate his lack of match practice being any kind of problem.”
Smith, the Proteas Test captain, is currently playing county cricket and saw an ankle specialist in England this week, according to team manager Mohammed Mosajee.
Smith has a chronic condition that requires ongoing treatment and the Proteas management is confident that it won’t compromise his participation in the tournament.
Hudson admitted that if keeper AB de Villiers suffered an injury on the morning of a match the squad would be in a tight spot. Quinton de Kock is the official back-up but will stay home unless needed.
“We wanted continuity and flexibility in the squad,” Kirsten said. “We’ve tried to establish continuity and the selection of a guy like Ryan McLaren shows that.
“Through our continuity players have had experience at international level in the past few years to be able to cope with the pressures of this event.
“We’ve also looked to include some flair players in the team that’s why we have eight batsmen. But we do have different options within that framework and we can try some different plans.”
Kirsten was concerned about Kallis’s absence but took the philosophical approach.
“It is big blow but this team has progressed to a level that we are comfortable with whoever plays,” Kirsten said.
“It does affect our combinations because he is two players in one. But if he feels he is not ready for the tournament then we have to respect that.”
Squad: AB de Villiers (captain), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morné Morkel, Robbie Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
Proteas in big gamble
Left-handed batsman JP Duminy was included despite still not being 100% recovered from a ruptured Achilles tendon, while opening bat Graeme Smith is struggling with a chronic ankle injury.
There is also no back- up wicketkeeper in the squad of eight batsmen, five seam bowlers and two spinners that Hudson announced at Newlands yesterday.
To further complicate the situation, all-rounder Jacques Kallis declared himself unavailable for the tournament, for “personal reasons”.
“JP is well on the way to a full recovery,” Hudson said.
“The latest information is that he will be fully fit to play his part in all three disciplines by the end of the month. He is a very experienced limited-overs cricketer and we don’t anticipate his lack of match practice being any kind of problem.”
Smith, the Proteas Test captain, is currently playing county cricket and saw an ankle specialist in England this week, according to team manager Mohammed Mosajee.
Smith has a chronic condition that requires ongoing treatment and the Proteas management is confident that it won’t compromise his participation in the tournament.
Hudson admitted that if keeper AB de Villiers suffered an injury on the morning of a match the squad would be in a tight spot. Quinton de Kock is the official back-up but will stay home unless needed.
“We wanted continuity and flexibility in the squad,” Kirsten said. “We’ve tried to establish continuity and the selection of a guy like Ryan McLaren shows that.
“Through our continuity players have had experience at international level in the past few years to be able to cope with the pressures of this event.
“We’ve also looked to include some flair players in the team that’s why we have eight batsmen. But we do have different options within that framework and we can try some different plans.”
Kirsten was concerned about Kallis’s absence but took the philosophical approach.
“It is big blow but this team has progressed to a level that we are comfortable with whoever plays,” Kirsten said.
“It does affect our combinations because he is two players in one. But if he feels he is not ready for the tournament then we have to respect that.”
Squad: AB de Villiers (captain), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morné Morkel, Robbie Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
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