Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje return for ODIs against Netherlands

South Africa have announced a strong 15-man squad for the One-Day International (ODI) series against the Netherlands, starting March 31. After being rested for the ODI series against West Indies, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje are return to the50-over format.

The two ODIs, which will be part of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League matches, will be played at Willowmoore Park, Benoni, while the action will shift to the Wanderers, Johannesburg for the second match on April 2.

Temba Bavuma's men will don pink jerseys for the second game that allows Cricket South Africa (CSA) to raise funds for an important cause.

“We have named our strongest possible squad for these games given the importance of these matches in the context of qualifying for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. We have a job to do and I am confident that with this group of players we can get the job done," White-ball head coach Rob Walter said.

Due to the onset of the Omicron variant, the series was cancelled in 2021 after the first ODI at Centurion was washed out with both Netherlands and South Africa sharing the points.

"Cricket South Africa would like to wish Rob and his team well for the series against Netherlands. The second match of the series will be a special occasion as it marks the annual Pink Day. This is an important day in the CSA calendar as it allows us to raise awareness and funds for an important cause. It’s a game that everyone is looking forward to," Director of Cricket Enoch Nkwe added.

South Africa need to win both their games in the series to stay in contention for an automatic qualification to the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. However, if Ireland win all their three ODIs against Bangladesh in May, they can potentially pip the Proteas and secure an automatic qualification.

South Africa squad for Netherlands ODIs: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.