Walter aims to ease Simelane into Proteas set-up

Zaahier Adams

South Africa white-ball coach Rob Walter has remained steadfast in his bid to grow the Proteas’ depth of talent in line with “Project 2027”.

Despite the Proteas being trounced 3-0 in the recent T20 series against the West Indies – the second successive drubbing sandwiched between the dream run to the ICC T20 Men’s World Cup final – Walter is steadfast in his aim to develop the next tier of players below the first-choice starting XI.

None of Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Tabraiz Shamsi, Gerald Coetzee, David Miller or Heinrich Klaasen feature in either of the ODI or T20 squads selected to face Afghanistan and Ireland in the United Arab Emirates later this month.

Instead, Walter has added some fresh faces in the form of uncapped Dolphins all-rounders Andile Simelane and Jason Smith, along with Lions leg-spinner Nqaba Peter for the Afghanistan ODI and Ireland T20 series. Smith and Peter, who both made their T20I debuts in respective West Indies series, were also included in the ODI squad to face the Irish.

“The reality is we can’t rely on one group of players to win games for South Africa and so the players that you see in the squad are either high-potential players that we believe can make big contributions for South Africa moving forward, or the next-best players in the country,” Walter said.

White-ball head coach Rob Walter has today announced the squads for the upcoming One-Day International (ODI) series against Afghanistan and the proceeding white-ball tour against Ireland, which get underway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this month.

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“We want to make sure that we have a bigger group of players that can win games for South Africa.

“If we want to keep relying on the same faces to do that, what happens with injury, what happens with retirement, what happens in all those instances?

“The only way to know is to keep exposing players to international cricket. We have decided to give opportunities to some of the fringe players and those who have impressed in recent weeks and months.

“This has been a deliberate move from management, in line with our goal of building a wider pool of players to choose from as we prepare for the major ICC tournaments taking place over the next 18 months, with a long-term view on the 50-over World Cup in 2027.”

Simelane is certainly one for the future and not necessarily the present. The 21-year-old was first cast into the spotlight when picked by former SA Under-19 coach Shukri Conrad, who is now the Proteas’ Test mentor, for the ICC U19 World Cup in the Caribbean two years ago.

He has gone on to play 20 List-A and T20 games apiece, while also gaining exposure with the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 last season. Simelane recently showed off his potential with a century for the SA Emerging XI in Zimbabwe.

“If you look at that Afghanistan squad, there are 16 players and ultimately we are taking Andile as the 16th player,” he said.

“We are doing our best to identify series where we can take what I call high-potential players along to expose them to international cricket, to the Proteas environment and the requirements of international cricket.

“The emphasis is not necessarily on playing, but the initial exposure to cricket at a higher level. In terms of watching him, I was with the SA ‘A’ side against Sri Lanka and saw him play there.

“I really enjoy his skill set as a young cricketer. He hasn’t played a huge amount, but it’s about recognising high potential talent and providing him with an avenue to grow.”

Walter also clarified that SA U19 Cricketer of the Year Kwena Maphaka, who became the youngest capped Protea on the last tour of the West Indies, was not considered for selection because he is completing his matric exams over this period.

South Africa ODI squad against Afghanistan: Temba Bavuma (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Nqabayomzi Peter, Andile Simelane, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams.

South Africa T20I squad against Ireland: Aiden Markram (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Simelane, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams

South Africa ODI squad against Ireland: Temba Bavuma (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams