De Villiers to lead South Africa in T20 series v England
LONDON (Reuters) - AB de Villiers will captain South Africa in this month's three-match Twenty20 international series against England with regular skipper Faf du Plessis rested ahead of the test series.
De Villiers, who was criticised for his captaincy as he led the one-day international side to a first-round exit in the ongoing Champions Trophy, has ruled himself out of the test matches.
Seamer Dwaine Pretorius, who is also a powerful hitter with the bat, was included in the Twenty20 squad for the first time, though he has played 10 ODIs since making his debut last year.
“We are ready to give further opportunities to Andile Phehlukwayo, Mangaliso Mosehle, Jon-Jon Smuts and Dane Paterson, who all made their debuts in the recent series against Sri Lanka," Cricket South Africa National Selection Panel convener Linda Zondi said.
“This is an exciting opportunity for the newcomers to play alongside world-class and experienced players like AB, Farhaan, David Miller, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris and Wayne Parnell.”
Squad:
Farhaan Behardien, AB de Villiers (captain), Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Mangaliso Mosehle, Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi, Jon-Jon Smuts.
(Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Ed Osmond)