Kwena Maphaka and Jason Smith have received their maiden international call-ups after being included in the Proteas squad for the T20 series in West Indies.
The 18-year-old Maphaka was named as the player of the tournament at the U19 World Cup earlier this year where he picked up 21 wickets to help the junior Proteas reach the semifinals.
The left-arm paceman has already played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Mumbai Indians and made his professional debut for the Lions last season.
Smith has been selected on the back of some strong performances for the Dolphins in domestic cricket last season.
The middle-order batter amassed 291 runs at an average of 41.57 and a strike rate of 134.10 in the CSA T20 tournament.
Proteas white-ball head coach Rob Walter has confirmed that several players will be rested for the series that kicks off in Trinidad on 23 August.
Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Anrich Norjte and Tabraiz Shamsi were all not included in the squad.
Walter said: “This tour allows us to continue developing our player pool whilst maintaining the core of experienced players.
“It will also expose our emerging talent to quality international opposition, similar to the last time we played against the West Indies in May.
“We’re excited to have Jason [Smith] and Kwena [Maphaka] join the squad for this series. Jason’s recent performances have been impressive, and his ability to contribute with both bat and ball adds valuable depth to our line-up.
“Kwena has been identified as a player with significant potential, and this tour presents a great opportunity to include him in the Proteas environment and gain valuable international experience.”
Lions spinner Nqaba Peter, who made his T20I debut against the West Indies in May, has been ruled out of the series as he is in the final phase of his recovery from a shoulder injury.
Proteas T20 squad: Aiden Markram (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams
Fixtures:
Friday, 23 August (21:00 SAST)
West Indies vs South Africa – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago
Sunday, 25 August (21:00 SAST)
West Indies vs South Africa – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago
Tuesday, 27 August (21:00 SAST)
West Indies vs South Africa – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago
Training Underway 👊
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) August 14, 2024
Our Proteas have been training hard ahead of the 2nd and final Test Match against the West Indies this Thursday.
Guyana awaits! 🇬🇾#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt#SAvWI pic.twitter.com/2sf8lm3gsz
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