South Africa announce T20I squad for Pakistan home series, Heinrich Klaasen to lead

South Africa have announced a revamped squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Pakistan, scheduled from December 10 to 14. With regular skipper Aiden Markram and several key players engaged in the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka, Heinrich Klaasen will take the captaincy duties.

Markram, along with Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, and Tristan Stubbs, will miss the series due to their Test commitments. Their absence has opened the door for other experienced and returning players. Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi will be making their first T20I appearances since the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June.

Allrounder George Linde also makes a return after a three-year gap, having impressed in the CSA T20 Challenge with a brilliant all-round performance. His inclusion as a spinning allrounder brings balance to a squad that otherwise leans on seam-bowling options.

Also Read: Pakistan announce squads for multi-format South Africa tour

Anrich is very much in line for the Champions Trophy: Rob Walter 

Head coach Rob Walter expressed confidence in Klaasen’s leadership, which he feels will be vital for a team looking to rebuild momentum after a year that was of inconsistent results in the bilateral T20I series.

"Anrich is very much in line for the Champions Trophy. He has a lot of experience so playing lots of 50-over cricket is not necessary. Before that, he will be very active in the SA20 and in this series. I am not worried about him from a playing point of view. He is not a young cricketer, he understands his game. There's enough cricket between now and then for him to be selected," South Africa's white-ball head coach Rob Walter said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Walter also emphasised the significance of the squad, with all players having prior international experience. Anrich Nortje’s pace and Tabraiz Shamsi’s spin will be crucial against a solid Pakistani batting lineup while George Linde’s selection shows the team’s strategy of inclination of spinning allrounders in the absence of seaming allrounders like Mulder and Jansen.

Additionally, young talents like Andile Simelane are set to gain valuable exposure. Walter praised Simelane’s potential, mentioning his power-hitting and wicket-taking abilities as assets to the squad. Although South Africa’s T20 side reached the World Cup final earlier this year, the team has struggled to win a bilateral series. Walter, acknowledged the pressure on his role

"I'm very excited about Andile. He has got some wonderful attributes. The first ball he faced in international cricket he hit out of Kingsmead. He has got some power with the bat, he took some key wickets, he has a wonderful overall skill set that is still in its infancy. We want to keep giving him opportunities, keep growing his game," he concluded.