New prospects get test opportunity as South Africa name squad to tour Zimbabwe
FILE PHOTO: Cricket - Second Test - South Africa v India - Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa - January 4, 2024 South Africa's Dean Elgar reacts with Lungi Ngidi after the match and retiring from international cricket REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo
New prospects get test opportunity as South Africa name squad to tour Zimbabwe
CAPE TOWN - South Africa handed an opportunity for test debuts to five uncapped players who were named on Friday for the two-test series in Zimbabwe later this month.
Several senior players are to be rested for the two tests in Bulawayo with coach Shukri Conrad picking a 16-player squad to be led by captain Temba Bavuma.
There is a first call-up for the batting duo Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Lesego Senokwane and fast bowler Codi Yusuf while hard-hitting Dewald Brevis and off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen return to the squad in search of a first cap.
The 19-year-old Pretorius had a breakout domestic season in both first-class and Twenty20. He struck three centuries in five first-class games at an average of 72.66, while Senokwane, 28, was a significant run scorer in the Cricket South Africa 4-day competition.
The 27-year-old Yusuf finished the domestic season with a bowling average of 22.39.
The squad also sees the recall of batsman Zubayr Hamza, who last played a test against New Zealand in early 2024.
Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs will be rested for the Zimbabwe trip while the fast bowling trio of Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee and Lizaad Williams were not considered for selection because of fitness issues.
"We've opted to rest some players to manage their workload ahead of a busy season," said Conrad at a virtual press conference, but for the others "this tour provides the ideal platform to expose them to the demands of Test cricket and see how they respond".
South Africa, who meet Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord's starting on Wednesday, take on Zimbabwe in their first test at the Queens Club from 28 June-2 July with the second at the same venue from July 6-10.
Squad:
Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne, Codi Yusuf. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Italy already fear missing yet another World Cup after Norway nightmare
Soccer Football - World Cup - European Qualifiers - Group I - Norway v Italy - Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway - June 6, 2025 Norway's Sander Berge hits the post as Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma looks on Lise Aserud/NTB via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY. Italy's World Cup qualification campaign has barely begun and already the country is worried about the shocking possibility of failing to reach the final tournament for a third consecutive time after a humiliating defeat by Norway. Norway already had two wins under their belt in Group I before Friday's match in Oslo, while Italy had yet to play, having been involved in the Nations League quarter-finals in March, losing out to Germany. A 2-1 defeat at the San Siro in the first leg left Italy chasing the tie in Germany and they found themselves 3-0 down at the break before staging a second-half comeback to salvage a draw, and some pride. It was the same story on Friday for Italy at the Ullevaal Stadium, at least as far as the opening act went. Norway roared into a 3-0 lead in the first half but this time there was no Italian fightback in a goalless second half. "Enough!" screamed the Gazzetta dello Sport front page on Saturday, after Italy suffered their third loss in a four-game winless run, with the newspaper adding that for Italy the "World Cup is already at risk". Next year's World Cup takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico but in the two decades since Italy won the tournament for the fourth time, they have struggled to perform or, more recently, to even get there. Berlin 2006 seems a lifetime ago now, with Zinedine Zidane sent off for his head butt to Marco Materazzi's chest and Italy lifting the trophy after a penalty shootout win over France. The next two World Cups saw Italy exit at the group stage, and while they triumphed at Euro 2020, on either side of that success they missed out on the World Cup after playoff defeats to Sweden and North Macedonia. With Italy now playing catch-up and only the group winners qualifying automatically, La Repubblica's front-page headline "Azzurri humiliated in Oslo, the playoff nightmare returns" hints at the frightening possibilities ahead. Italy's loss came less than a week after Inter Milan's 5-0 mauling at the hands of Paris St Germain in the Champions League final and on both occasions the tired-looking losers were outclassed by a hungrier, more creative side. Italy manager Luciano Spalletti was spared following last year's dismal Euros but is now under real pressure and nothing but a convincing win at home to Moldova on Monday will do, with media and fans increasingly calling for a change of leadership. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Ronaldo says he does not plan to play at Club World Cup
Ronaldo says he does not plan to play at Club World Cup Al-Nassr and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo said on Saturday he did not plan to play at the Club World Cup in the United States, despite being courted by clubs participating in the expanded 32-team tournament. Speculation over the 40-year-old's future intensified last month when FIFA President Gianni Infantino said discussions were underway about Ronaldo playing in the Club World Cup, despite Al-Nassr failing to qualify. Al-Nassr's sporting director Fernando Hierro said last month they were negotiating with Ronaldo over a contract extension but faced competition from a host of clubs eager to sign the five-times Ballon d'Or winner. Ronaldo himself added to the uncertainty after Al-Nassr's season-ending match at Al-Fateh, posting on social media: "This chapter is over. The story? Still being written." Asked about the possibility of signing for another club in the coming days in order to play at the Club World Cup later this month, Ronaldo told reporters: "It's irrelevant, at the moment it doesn't make sense to talk about things other than the national team. "There has been plenty of contact (from clubs), I see things that make sense, others that don't. You can't go to all of them (clubs), you have to think short, medium and long term. "It's something that's practically decided on my part, which is not to go to the Club World Cup, but I've had plenty of invitations." On Wednesday, Ronaldo scored the winner as Portugal beat Germany 2-1 to go into the Nations League final, where they will face Spain. Many have labelled Sunday's final as a face-off between Ronaldo and 17-year-old Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal but the Portuguese forward said he did not see it as such. "It's always been like that, whenever I've played football, whenever I've played a big game it's always been Cristiano against this one, against that one," he said. "It's been 20-something years and it's still the same, it doesn't keep me up at night anymore, it's a normal thing. They're completely different generations, a generation that's starting out, another that's finishing, which is my case. "In reality it's not like that, it's a team against a team. It will always be like that... What I want most is for Portugal to be at a good level, confident that things can go well, that we can play a great game and win against a very good team, possibly the best in the world." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Mbappe unfazed by PSG winning Champions League without him
Soccer Football - Champions League - Paris St Germain Victory Parade - Paris, France - June 1, 2025 Paris St Germain's players, staff and president Nasser Al-Khelaifi during a ceremony to present the trophy a day after the club won the UEFA Champions League. Pool via REUTERS/Frank Fife/File Photo Kylian Mbappe said he was happy to see his former team Paris St Germain win the Champions League for the first time this season despite having left the club a year ago in acrimonious circumstances to join Real Madrid. PSG thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 last week to win Europe's premier club competition for the first time, having lost in the 2020 final to Bayern Munich. "I was happy, they deserved it, they've been through so many problems, I've been through that too. I've been through every stage of the Champions League except winning it," Mbappe told reporters on Saturday. "They were the best team in Europe. I can't remember ever seeing them go 5-0 up. It's 100% deserved, they're becoming the team everyone wants to beat." Mbappe left PSG on a free transfer last year as the team's all-time top scorer, but the 26-year-old took his former club to court over 55 million euros ($62.67 million) in unpaid wages. Mbappe scored 43 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid but they failed to win any major trophy, finishing runners-up in LaLiga and the Copa del Rey to Barcelona while getting knocked out in the Champions League quarter-finals by Arsenal. But the France forward said there were no hard feelings as he watched his former team mates lift the trophy they had coveted for years. "PSG won the Champions League without me, that doesn't affect me. That's a good thing. I think we all face challenges in our careers," Mbappe said. "I'm a bit more in the eye of the storm, which is good. I've always liked being in these positions, it's up to me to work. I've reversed quite a few trends in my career, I've had a lot of things stuck on my back and I've managed to get them off. "Did I leave too soon? No, my story was over, it had to end. There was no bitterness, I'd reached the end of my tether." Mbappe also said he would vote for PSG forward Ousmane Dembele over Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal to win the Ballon d'Or for the best player of the year. Dembele scored 33 goals and made 15 assists in all competitions as PSG also won the Ligue 1 title and the French Cup to accomplish a rare treble. "Would I vote for Dembele? Yes. Is there really any need to explain?... I'm going for Dembele. It's very clear," he said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
