Aiden Markram To Lead South Africa In T20Is Against West Indies

The new T20I skipper has been named, and his name is Aiden Markram. Temba Bavuma, who stood down as T20I skipper last month, is replaced by the 28-year-old. Having previously led South Africa at the Under-19 level earlier in his career and also served as captain at the provincial and franchise levels, Markram has a wealth of leadership experience. He most recently led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the first SA20 championship.

Bjorn Fortuin of the Lions and his all-around teammate Sisanda Magala are two more significant picks.

In the 50-over lineup, a number of important white-ball players took a break for the first and second ODIs before coming back for the third game. A much-needed respite for the series has also been provided to pace duo Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada.

The Knights fast bowler Gerald Coetzee, Western Province hitter Tony de Zorzi, and Warriors batter Tristan Stubbs all received their first ODI calls-ups, giving the squad a total of four uncapped players. Ryan Rickelton, a batsman with the Lions, makes his ODI comeback after an excellent One-Day Cup campaign in which he finished as the competition’s top run-scorer with 452 runs at an average of 64.57, including two hundreds and as many fifty-pluses.

Director of Cricket Enoch Nkwe commented: “I would like to congratulate Aiden on his appointment as captain of the Proteas T20I team. Leadership is extremely familiar to him having successfully led on so many levels. He is a player that inspires confidence and he has all the qualities to succeed in the role. We have no doubt that will help take South Africa to the next level.”

“At the same time, we would like to thank Temba for filling the position so aptly over the past two years. He has done a commendable job during this period and now has a new role to fulfil within the national set-up,” concluded Nkwe.

Head coach Rob Walter added: “This is a squad that is high on confidence after beating one of the best white-ball teams in the world, England, in their most recent series.”

“We have introduced a few new faces to the 50-over squad. I am personally excited to see how the likes of Tony de Zorzi get on in the ODI team, the same with Gerald Coetzee, following debuts for both of them during the ongoing Test series. Both are players that have the potential to play a huge role in the future of the national team along with Tristan Stubbs, who has already made a significant mark in the T20I arena.”

“I am also excited to have Aiden take the reigns as T20I captain as he is very familiar to the setup and works well with those around him. He is a player that leads from the front and we have no doubt he will take this team to the next level in the years ahead,” concluded Walter.

JP Duminy has been hired as the white-ball batting coach full-time. The 38-year-old is currently the coach of the provincial Paarl Rocks club as well as the Paarl Royals in the SA20 league. He also had a successful playing career for the Proteas, earning a total of 280 limited-overs caps. During this time, he rose to become South Africa’s third-leading T20I run scorer.

Together with Lions head coach Wandile Gwavu, who will be in charge of the fielding, former Proteas all-rounder and Western Province stalwart Rory Kleinveldt will join the white-ball trip as the bowling coach. The permanent instructors for bowling and fielding will be revealed later.

Speaking of the management group, Nkwe added: “JP has been a great servant of South African cricket over the years and to have him on board as a coach adds immense value for two reasons. He is a developing coach and his experience as a player, so we look forward to having him on board.”

“Rory is another man that has played the game for a number of years and having him join us bodes well for the bowling group. I would also like to welcome Wandile on board. He is a proven coach as we saw with the success he brought to the Lions. By the same token, I want to thank the Lions for availing Wandile to assist his country with the tour,” concluded Nkwe.

The T20I South Africa team for the West Indies series: Aiden Markram (capt), Quinton de Kock , Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.

The first two ODIs South Africa Team for West Indies: Temba Bavuma (capt), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams, Rassie van der Dussen

The 3rd ODI South Africa Team for West Indies: Temba Bavuma (captain), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams, Rassie van der Dussen.