Cricket South Africa (CSA) finalized its squad for South Africa’s upcoming tour of Pakistan with a change in the squad as the players left for the bilateral series on Friday (January 15).
CSA announced a 21-member squad for the Pakistan series with seamer Marco Jansen replacing another uncapped pacer Ottniel Baartman in the Proteas squad. The CSA has confirmed that the entire squad returned negative for COVID-19 and they have left for Pakistan on Friday.
Baartman was handed a maiden Test call-up for the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan starting January 26 but was forced to miss the tour due to a medical reason unrelated to COVID-19.
Well, the opportunity landed in the 20-year-old Jansen’s lap given his brilliant stats in first-class cricket, as the left-arm seamer has scalped 52 wickets in 12 red-ball games so far, while he has taken 21 wickets at an average of 20.71 in the four-day competition this summer.
The CSA said in a Twitter post: “Your #Proteas are Pakistan bound after all players COVID-19 tests returned negative. There has been one change in the squad as Ottniel Baartman has been replaced by Marco Jansen due to an unrelated medical reason.”
Noteworthy, South Africa is returning to Pakistan after 14 years to play two Tests in Karachi and Rawalpindi respectively, and three T20 Internationals in Lahore.
Here’s the South Africa squad: Quinton De Kock (c), Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Faf Du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Kagiso Rabada, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie Van der Dussen, Anrich Nortje, Wiaan Mulder, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Kyle Verreynne, Sarel Erwee, Keegan Petersen, Tabraiz Shamsi, George Linde, Daryn Dupavillon, Marco Jansen.
(With PTI Inputs)
