Rassie van der Dussen to lead South Africa in T20I series against West Indies
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced the squad for the three-game T20I series against the West Indies to be played between May 23 and 26. Sabina Park in Jamaica will host all three matches as both teams will finetune themselves for the 2024 T20 World Cup, beginning on June 1.
Rassie van der Dussen, not part of Proteas' T20 World Cup squad, has been picked to lead the national team. Three IPL stars - Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, and Anrich Nortje - are also part of the squad.
Among the other T20 World Cup squad members, Ottneil Baartman, Reeza Hendricks, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ryan Rickleton, and Lungi Ngidi have also been selected to face the West Indies.
Head coach Rob Walter addressed Van der Dussen's appointment as captain by saying (via SA Cric Mag):
"Rassie brings a wealth of experience. It is a relatively inexperienced group. He offers huge value given the T20 cricket he has been playing."
South Africa squad for West Indies T20Is: Rassie van der Dussen (c) Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Matthew Breetzke, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Few South African players yet to leave IPL 2024
Meanwhile, the likes of Aiden Markram (SunRisers Hyderabad), Heinrich Klaasen (SunRisers Hyderabad), Keshav Maharaj (Rajasthan Royals), and Marco Jansen (SunRisers Hyderabad) are still in India for IPL 2024, given their respective teams have reached the playoffs.
Kagiso Rabada, who was part of Punjab Kings, left the tournament early to recover from an injury ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, the non-inclusion of Tristan Stubbs and David Miller was a mystery, given their IPL 2024 stints are done.
South Africa are clubbed in Group D with Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the Netherlands. The Proteas' campaign begins against Sri Lanka in New York on June 3.