Johannesburg:Â Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, who had a good Indian Premier League outing with Chenni Super Kings (CSK), has been recalled and named in a 24-man squad that will play England in a home T20I and One-Day International (ODI) series consisting of three matches each from November 27 to December 9.
Wicket-keeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has been named captain in what is South Africa’s first international series since the onset of Covid-19 at the start of the year.
du Plessis last played for South Africa in a T20I against Australia at home in February this year. He has not played an ODI since South Africa’s last match of the 2019 World Cup in July last year. He was declared Man of the Match, having scored his 12th ODI century in a game that South Africa won at the end of a dismal campaign in the tournament. He was subsequently stripped of captaincy in limited overs and was dropped from the ODI squad that faced England in February.
du Plessis’s performance in the IPL could have played a part in his recall. He scored 449 runs at 40.82 in 13 matches, though CSK finished seventh and failed to qualify for the playoffs.
With the bio-secure environment where movement in and out of the squad will be limited, we had to make sure that we have all our bases covered with the 24 players. It also gives the team the opportunity to play some inter-squad games just to make sure that they sharpen up those white-ball skills before the series start, South Africa Convenor of Selectors Victor Mpitsang said in a statement.
This is an important season for the team, with an ICC T20 World Cup coming up late next year in India. I’m sure that the T20 series, in particular, is going to boast some explosive performances for cricket fans to enjoy at home, said CSA Director of Cricket Graeme Smith.