Stubbs breaks into SA T20 squad for India

UNCAPPED batsman Tristan Stubbs was named yesterday in a 16-man South African squad for a series of five Twenty20 internationals in India next month.

The 21-year-old starred in a domestic T20 competition in February when he hit 23 sixes for the Gqeberha-based Warriors in scoring 293 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 183.12.

The hard-hitting righthanded batsman joined the Mumbai Indians franchise in the Indian Premier League as a replacement for Tymal Mills earlier this month but failed to score on his debut against Chennai Super Kings last Thursday.

Fast bowler Anrich Nortje is set to make his first international appearance since the T20 World Cup last November.

Nortje was sidelined by a hip injury but has returned to action in recent weeks with the Delhi Capitals team in the IPL.

Other IPL players returning to the South African team are Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen and Marco Jansen.

None of the IPL players were available for South Africa’s Test series against Bangladesh last month.

Selection convener Victor Mpitsang said, “This is the Proteas like we have not seen them in a long time.

“The injection of the IPL players means that we will have a team that is ready to fire on all cylinders immediately and has vast experience of the conditions that we will be playing in.”

SA SQUAD: Temba Bavuma (capt), Quinton de Kock (wkt), Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen.

Fixtures: June 9, Delhi; June 12, Cuttack June 14, Visakhapatnam, June 17, Rajkot June 19, Bengaluru. | AFP