Cricket South Africa, on Thursday, named two uncapped players, fast bowler Lungi Ngidi and batsman Khaya Zondo, in its squad for the first three One-day Internationals to be played against India next month.
Ngidi was not available for the previous ODI series last year as he recovered from injury while Zondo had previously been included in the Proteas squad for the 2015 tour of India but did not feature in a single game.
The squad also features the return of Morne Morkel and Chris Morris, who missed the previous ODI series against Bangladesh through injury. Tabraiz Shamsi returns to the squad as a second spin bowling option.
“This is a continuation of vision 2019 as we develop our squad for the 2019 ICC World Cup in England,” commented CSA National Selection Panel Convener Linda Zondi. “Lungi has achieved a remarkable double in being named Man of the Match on both his T20 and Test match debuts and he now gets the chance to show what he can do in the 50 overs format.
“Khaya has been on the fringes of selection for some time now which included leading the South Africa A side on their recent 50 overs campaign against the England Lions. He forms part of our vision to give opportunities to fringe players and we will continue this policy throughout the build-up to the World Cup. It is good to have both Morne and Chris back in the squad as the 2019 World Cup is little more than a year away now,” Zonda added.
Following the Test series, India will play six ODIs against South Africa. The first match between the two teams is scheduled for February 1 in Durban.
Squad
Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Khaya Zondo