Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Wayne Parnell and Vaughn van Jaarsveld are the three new caps named on Monday by Cricket South Africa in the team for the limited-overs segment of their tour of Australia. The Proteas will play two T20 matches followed by five one-day internationals (ODIs).
Both Tsotsobe and Parnell are left-arm swing bowlers playing for the Warriors, while Van Jaarsveld is a left-handed batsman from the Highveld Lions. Tsotsobe is already on tour with the Test squad, although he has yet to play a five-day match.
Hashim Amla has also been retained in the squad after standing in with great success for Graeme Smith on the tour of England and for Herschelle Gibbs in the home series against Kenya and Bangladesh. In his 10 ODIs for South Africa, Amla has made 368 runs in nine innings at an average of 52,57 with a strike rate of 93,40.
There is also a recall for Makhaya Ntini, whose first-class form has been quite outstanding over the first half of the season.
”The new caps are all young players we have identified as having the potential to take us forward,” commented selection convener Mike Procter. ”Van Jaarsveld has been the outstanding performer in the MTN Domestic Championship this season with his consistent big-hitting scoring. He is also an outstanding slip fielder.
”Parnell was one of the stand-out performers at this year’s ICC under-19 World Cup, where he impressed with his maturity in being the leading wicket-taker in the tournament (18), as well as leading South Africa to the final which they were unlucky to lose.
”Tsotsobe has impressed by the manner in which he has settled into the Proteas’ squad both on and off the field. His combination of swing and bounce makes him a good wicket-taking prospect,” added Procter.
The 23-year-old Van Jaarsveld has scored 435 runs in seven innings with a century and four 50s at an average of 72,50, with a strike rate of 113,87 this season. He has hit 15 sixes, which is far more than any other player has achieved, and he is one of only two batsmen to have hit more than 50 boundaries (15 sixes and 36 fours). He is also the leading non-wicketkeeping fielder.
Although a specialist slip, he has also kept wicket for the Lions on occasion.
In T20 cricket Van Jaarsveld has a strike rate of 130,84.
Both the 19-year-old Parnell and 24-year-old Tsotsobe were part of the training camp that the Proteas held at the start of this summer to prepare for the various limited-overs series and had been earmarked for selection sooner rather than later.
Parnell’s best performance at the under-19 World Cup came in the semifinal against Bangladesh, when he made 57 and then took 6/8.
South African Standard Bank squad: Graeme Smith (Nashua Cape Cobras, captain), Johan Botha (Chevrolet Warriors, vice-captain), Hashim Amla (Nashua Dolphins), Mark Boucher (Chevrolet Warriors), AB de Villiers (Nashua Titans), JP Duminy (Nashua Cape Cobras), Herschelle Gibbs (Nashua Cape Cobras), Jacques Kallis (Chevrolet Warriors), Albie Morkel (Nashua Titans), Morne Morkel (Nashua Titans), Makhaya Ntini (Chevrolet Warriors), Wayne Parnell (Chevrolet Warriors), Dale Steyn (Nashua Titans), Lonwabo Tsotsobe (Chevrolet Warriors), Vaughn van Jaarsveld (Bizhub Highveld Lions). — Sapa