South Africa Rests Key Players for UAE Tour, Widens Player Pool

South Africa's white-ball squad for their upcoming tour of the UAE has been announced, with several first-choice players rested as the team prepares for the Champions Trophy.

Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Tabraiz Shamsi, David Miller, and Heinrich Klaasen will all be absent from the ODI and T20I squads. Instead, the management has opted to widen the player pool and give opportunities to fringe players.

Allrounder Jason Smith, who made his T20I debut in the West Indies last month, has been given a maiden ODI call-up. Legspinner Nqabayomzi Peter, who has recovered from a shoulder injury, has also been included in the ODI squad.

21-year-old seam-bowling allrounder Andile Simelane has been named in both the ODI and T20I squads against Afghanistan. He has been part of South Africa Emerging and 'A' sides recently.

Lungi Ngidi, who suffered a right calf injury during the Caribbean tour, has recovered and is expected to lead the attack. However, Quinton de Kock, who has not confirmed his retirement from T20Is, does not feature.

Kwena Maphaka, who made his debut against West Indies, has not been included as he completes his final school examinations. Donovan Ferreira is the only other player from the West Indies T20I series who will not be on this tour, while Matthew Breetzke has been included in the T20I squad.

Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks, and Simelane are part of the ODI squad against Afghanistan, but not for the ODIs against Ireland. Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton are present only for the Ireland ODIs.

"We have decided to give opportunities to some of the fringe players as well as those who have impressed in recent weeks and months," said Rob Walter, South Africa's white-ball coach. "This has been a deliberate move from management, in line with our goal of building a wider pool of players to choose from, as we prepare for the major ICC tournaments taking place over the next 18 months, with a long-term view on the 50-over World Cup in 2027."

Tags: #SouthAfricaCricket, #WhiteBallSquad, #UAE, #Afghanistan, #Ireland