Aiden Markram is not available for selection as he is playing in the Test Series against Sri Lanka. So, Heinrich Klassen will lead the South African team in their home against Pakistan in the T20I series.
Alongside Markram, several other South African players will miss the series as well. Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, and Tristen Stubbs are those players who will miss out on the Pakistan T20I series.
Their home T20I series against Pakistan is scheduled to be played between December 10 and 14. The second Test against Sri Lanka concludes on December 9th. However, the rest of the players will be a part of the ODI series against Pakistan in early 2025.
This series will be their last to prepare for the Champions Trophy 2025.
Apart from this news, Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi have returned to the T20I side for South Africa. This is their first time since the T20 World Cup in June. The allrounder George Linde has also been selected for the series. He has not played for South Africa since 2021. He had an impressive performance in this session’s CSA T20 challenge to earn a place in the team.
Here is what South Africa’s white ball head Rob Walter had to say about team selection.
“Anrich is very much in line for the Champions Trophy. He has a lot of experience so playing lots of 50-over cricket is not necessary. Before that, he will be very active in the SA20 and in this series. I am not worried about him from a playing point of view. He is not a young cricketer, he understands his game. There’s enough cricket between now and then for him to be selected.”
Now, let’s look at the complete South African Squad for the Pakistan T20I series.
South Africa Squad
Heinrich Klaasen (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Andile Simelane, Rassie van der Dussen
