Maharaj back in the ODI mix
YOUNG’UNS: PROTEAS BUILDING DEPTH FOR WORLD T20
Mark Boucher and the rest of the national selection panel’s plan to improve depth at the Proteas has now gone into overdrive.
That became apparent yesterday, following the announcement of the ODI squad for the threematch series against Australia, starting on Saturday in Paarl.
While it’s no real surprise that Faf du Plessis has again been omitted, with the World T20 later this year taking preference, it’s notable that even more recent stalwarts such as Rassie van der Dussen and Dwaine Pretorius have been rested.
“We are excited to see what will come from the selections we have made ahead of this latest series against Australia. It is again another young squad that sees the absence of some senior players in Faf, Rassie and Dwaine, while we balance the workloads of individuals ahead of an extremely busy year,” said independent selector Linda Zondi.
“At the same time, it is a good opportunity to give younger and less experienced players an opportunity to show us what they’ve got to offer when the spotlight is fully on them. We have every confidence in their capabilities and potential.”
Boucher is very much on the same page.
“If we feel that we need to rest players, we will, as we have done in the recent past. Faf has been fantastic for us in white ball cricket and remains very much in our ODI plans,” he said.
There is a deserved call-up for Keshav Maharaj, who’s been on a mission to shed the perception that he should be pigeonholed as a Test spinner.
He’s been outstanding in the domestic One-day Cup to date, topping the wicket-taking charts with 13 victims in six matches.