No international comeback for retired AB de Villiers
The Cricket South Africa has put speculations to rest regarding the comeback of AB de Villiers in international cricket, stating that his retirement will remain final.
Published : May 18, 2021 16:55 IST
The Cricket South Africa has put speculations to rest regarding the comeback of AB de Villiers in international cricket, stating that discussions with the batsman have 'concluded' with him deciding "once and for all" that his retirement will remain final.
On Tuesday, the CSA named the squads for the Ireland and the West Indies series, with off-spinner, Prenelan Subrayen, joining the Proteas Test squad for the two-match series against the West Indies in the Caribbean island of St. Lucia next month. The 27-year-old from Durban is joined by his former South Africa under-19s teammate, Lizaad Williams, who has also received his first call-up to the national Test team.
The 19-member Test squad will be led by Dean Elgar in his first outing as captain since his permanent appointment in early March and the Temba Bavuma-led 20-man white ball squad to take on West Indies and Ireland.
Subrayen finished third in the 2020/2021 CSA Franchise 4-Day Cup Leading Bowling Averages table with 19 wickets in four matches at an average of 18.89 and best bowling figures of 6/24 for the Hollywoodbets Dolphins.
The National Selection Panel has put an emphasis on firming up the spin-bowling department in preparation for the slow nature of the wickets of the Caribbean. Subrayen will be accompanied by Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi and George Linde for the team’s first bilateral tour to the region in 11 years, plus the part-time spin options of the skipper himself as well as Aiden Markram.
Other uncapped selections include Kyle Verreynne, Keegan Petersen, Sarel Erwee and Marco Jansen.
New additions from South Africa’s inbound limited overs tour against Pakistan, Sisanda Magala and Williams, have been retained in the national side for both limited overs outings against the Windies and the Irish.
CSA convenor of selectors, Victor Mpitsang, said: " This is a massive outing for the Proteas. We have a fully fit team with an exciting balance of youth and experience. The Selection Panel is confident that it has put together an exciting and excited, young group of cricketers that will be well led by Dean (Elgar) and Temba (Bavuma)."
"The Caribbean is well-known for its low and slow wickets and we have ensured that we have chosen the personnel needed for every eventuality on this very important excursion. While there aren’t any (ICC World Test Championship) points to play for, it is still of vital importance for South Africa to produce winning results through a steadily growing and high-performing cricket pipeline.
"The historic tour to Ireland is crucial for points towards our qualification for the 2023 Cricket World Cup and preparation for the T20 World Cup later this year. This is the start of our road to these trophies and every tour will see us field our absolute best sides."