Young Stubbs included in Proteas T20 squad for India
SA’s IPL contingent returns to bolster team for tour
Emerging middle-order batter Tristan Stubbs has received his maiden Proteas call-up for the anticipated five-match T20 series against India away from home next month.
In this series to take place across five venues in India from June 9 to 19, Temba Bavuma’s T20 team will be making a return to international cricket for the first time since last year’s ICC T20 World Cup.
The highly-rated 21-year-old right-hand batter impressed for the Gbets Warriors last season during the CSA T20 Challenge where he scored 293 runs in seven innings at an average of 48.83 and a strike rate of 183.12 and 23 sixes.
He was also part of the SA ‘A’ team that toured Zimbabwe before he was called up to the Mumbai Indians camp for the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Also included in the T20 squad are fast bowler Anrich Nortjé, who has been recovering from injury since December, and batters Reeza Hendricks and Heinrich Klaasen.
Nortje has been cleared to play and is currently working through his return-to-play programme with the Delhi Capitals in the IPL while Wayne Parnell makes a return to the T20 set-up for the first time since the team’s tour to England in 2017.
The good news is that the IPL contingent of Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen and Marco Jansen are also available.
“This is the Proteas like we have not seen them in a long time,” said CSA convener of selectors Victor Mpitsang.
“The injection of the IPL players means that we will have a team that’s ready to fire on all cylinders immediately and has vast experience of the conditions that we will be playing in.
“Tristan Stubbs is an exciting prospect and we’re keen to see what he’s made of and we are looking forward to the return of the experience of Reeza (Hendricks), Klaasie (Heinrich Klaasen) and Wayne Parnell to join the likes of Temba (Bavuma), Tabraiz (Shamsi) and Keshav (Maharaj).
Meanwhile, Proteas batter Zubayr Hamza has been suspended from all cricket-related activities for nine months after admitting to an anti-doping rule violation under the ICC anti-doping code.
The International Cricket Council said Hamza provided an out-of-competition sample on January 17 in Paarl in which prohibited substance Furosemide was found.
Furosemide is a specified substance in Section S5 of the 2022 World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) prohibited list.
The ICC said Hamza admitted the violation and, having established no significant fault or negligence on his part, a nine-month period of ineligibility was imposed.
Proteas T20 Squad:
Temba Bavuma (capt), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortjé, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen