Kwena Maphaka earns maiden international call-up

Fast bowler Kwena Maphaka has received his maiden call-up as he has been picked for the upcoming T20 International (T20I) series against West Indies. Dolphins all-rounder Jason Smith too has earned his first international call-up. 

Maphaka was part of the South Africa squad for the ICC Under-19 World Cup, where he finished with 21 wickets at 9.71, guiding his side to a semi-final finish. He also made his Lions debut domestically and played for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Smith, on the other hand, amassed 291 runs at a strike rate of 134.10 in the 2023/24 CSA T20 Challenge, which includes a valiant fifty in the final for the Dolphins against the Lions. Leg-spinner Nqaba Peter, who made his debut earlier this year, has been ruled out of the series due to an injury.

Among the most notable absentees is Quinton de Kock, who played in the T20 World Cup recently in the Caribbean. De Kock retired from Tests in 2021 and, in 2023, walked away from ODIs as well. However, he has not yet officially announced his retirement from the shortest format. 

“Several players were not considered for this series due to either injury, being in a conditioning block that is related to workload management, or their participation in ongoing T20 leagues," white-ball head coach Rob Walter said.

“This tour allows us to continue developing our player pool whilst maintaining the core of experienced players. It will also expose our emerging talent to quality international opposition, similar to the last time we played against the West Indies in May."

“We’re excited to have Jason [Smith] and Kwena [Maphaka] join the squad for this series. Jason’s recent performances have been impressive, and his ability to contribute with both bat and ball adds valuable depth to our line-up. Kwena has been identified as a player with significant potential, and this tour presents a great opportunity to include him in the Proteas environment and gain valuable international experience.”

All three T20Is of the series will be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad, on August 23, 25 and 27.

South Africa squad for T20Is vs West Indies:

Aiden Markram (c), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams

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