Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 in India, commencing on October 5.
The South Africa squad features eight players who will be playing their first ODI World Cup, including captain Temba Bavuma. The other seven players are Aiden Markram, Tabraiz Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Sisanda Magala, and Reeza Hendricks.
Following the announcement of the squad, South Africa’s wicketkeeper batter Quinton de Kock announced his retirement from ODI cricket after the conclusion of the World Cup 2023 in India.
The Proteas Men’s white-ball head coach, Rob Walter, backed the recently-announced squad for the World Cup by stating it is great to have a mix of senior and junior players.
“It’s great having a mix of experienced players and players who will be competing in their first 50-over World Cup – you get that sort of exuberance of excitement to be doing something for the first time,” Walter said.
“Similar to the level of experience, we have endeavoured to curate a well-balanced group of players and skill that will allow us to effectively adapt to the conditions in India,” he added.
https://twitter.com/ProteasMenCSA/status/1698989565283856422
CSA’s Director of Cricket, Enoch Nkwe, also shared his thoughts on the squad announcement: “The World Cup is the pinnacle for every player, no matter what the sport is. As a boy it is something you dream of and I’m sure these players will be all be feeling extremely proud today.
“I would like to congratulate all of them on their selection and I am sure they will represent the Proteas badge with distinction and honour. We have no doubt they will give everything in India and do their best to try and bring the trophy home.”
Although the deadline for submitting the World Cup squad to the International Cricket Council (ICC) is September 5, teams can still make changes until September 28 without requiring ICC’s approval.
After the cut-off date, any changes to the squad will be subject to the approval of the ICC.
South Africa will kick off their World Cup 2023 campaign against Sri Lanka on 7 October at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
South Africa World Cup squad
Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der dussen.