Van der Dussen to Captain South Africa's Revamped Squad in T20I Tri-Series

Rassie van der Dussen is set to lead a revamped South African squad in the upcoming T20I tri-series against New Zealand and Zimbabwe in Harare. He takes the captaincy in the absence of regular skipper Aiden Markram, who is among several senior players rested for workload management.

Rassie van der Dussen will lead SA in the absence of regular skipper Aiden Markram © Getty

The squad includes exciting young opener Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who receives his maiden call-up after a strong showing in the SA20. Corbin Bosch, already experienced in ODIs and Tests, is in line to make his T20I debut. Rubin Hermann and Senuran Muthusamy, both of whom have played other formats for South Africa, complete the list of uncapped players.

South Africa's bowling attack receives a boost with the return of pacers Nandre Burger and Gerald Coetzee, both recovering from injuries and currently participating in the MLC. Dewald Brevis is also set to make his comeback, having been absent from the national side for nearly two years.

This T20I tri-series marks Shukri Conrad's first assignment as the all-format coach in the T20 format. The series begins on July 14 with South Africa facing Zimbabwe, and the final is scheduled for July 26.

According to Conrad, "This T20I tri-series marks the start of our preparation for next year's T20 World Cup. With several senior players rested as part of their workload management, it creates space for these players to step in and show what they can offer, and bring them into contention for World Cup selection."

He added, "Lhuan-dre and Rubin have been rewarded for their outstanding domestic form in the SA20 and we're excited to see how they adapt to the demands of international cricket. We know what Corbin has to offer at this level and we are keen to see how his Test and ODI skills will translate to the T20I arena."

South Africa Squad:

Rassie van der Dussen (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Reeza Hendricks, Rubin Hermann, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Andile Simelane