Anrich Nortje earned a recall to South Africa's fold as he was included in the Proteas' 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup.
Nortje has been in action in the Indian Premier League, but has not played for South Africa, who will be captained by Aiden Markram, in nine months.
While he has taken seven wickets in six matches for the Delhi Capitals, Nortje has gone at 13.36 runs per over, but has been given the nod due to his pace.
"Anrich has got another month before the World Cup starts so I have no doubt he'll hit his straps," South Africa coach Rob Walter said.
"It's good to see that his speed is up. The one thing Anrich has that separates him from others is raw pace. There's not many guys who can bowl 150kph and he can. Pace is an X-factor."
Lungi Ngidi has missed out, though he is a travelling reserve.
Quinton de Kock has not not been in good form, but has made the cut due to historical performances. He is no longer under contract at Cricket South Africa (CSA) and retired from ODIs last year.
"Quinny, we've seen him do it time and time again for us," Walter said.
"Reeza [Hendricks] has been a star performer for us in T20 cricket, was a standout in this domestic CSA T20 challenge again, and Ryan Rickelton has had two outstanding competitions really where he's played the brand of cricket that we're looking to play.
"And then we're going to have Markram and that'll be the top order. It's mostly a performance-based decision and from Quinton's point of view is just a real knowledge of what he's capable of."
Rickelton and Ottniel Baartman have been standout performers in the SA20 this year, and could earn their maiden T20I caps.
South Africa did not make it out of the Super 12 stage at the last World Cup in 2022.
Three big players, Temba Bavuma, Rilee Rossouw and Wayne Parnell, have missed out compared to the squad for that tournament.
The Proteas start their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka on June 3, after playing a warm-up series against West Indies.
South Africa squad:
Aiden Markram (capt), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.
Former West Indies head coach Phil Simmons says he is looking forward to being back in his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago while assisting Papua New Guinea through their ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign in which they will rub shoulders with West Indies.
said one of the things to which he will be most looking forward while working with Papua New Guinea during the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup will be returning to his native Trinidad & Tobago.
Simmons, 61, joins Oceania side as a specialist coach, and he will provide Papa New Guinea's head coach Tatenda Taibu with some added experience and knowledge of playing in Caribbean conditions during the June 1-29 showpiece, which will also see games being played in United States.
“My role here is as a consultant coach and how I put across my experience, not just playing in World Cups, but playing in the Caribbean and the things that we should be looking at to make sure we do it right in the Caribbean and especially the venues that we play at,” Simmons shared.
Having built a strong reputation working with international sides such as Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan, Simmons, who has played the sport for 14 years and coached for a further 18 years, was pressed for time to spend in the Caribbean and, as such, welcomed the opportunity to spend some time in the twin island republic.
“It’s been a long time in the game. It’s always brilliant to come home, always brilliant to come back to any part of the West Indies you know how beautiful it is here. I’m looking forward to getting home, which is Trinidad. Having people come here, me getting back here, it’s always a great thing, it’s always something to look forward to," he declared.
Simmons, who recently joined the Papa New Guinea squad in their pre-World Cup training camp in St Kitts, expressed pleasure with what he has seen so far.
“Their energy is unbelievable. Their warm-ups alone, got me tired. The guys look like they have settled in really well. In training, we started to get out in the middle of their game, so they started on some of the things they have to do here in the Caribbean, and it’s nice to see the energy that’s among this squad," Simmons said.
“I’ve known the head coach [Taibu] for a long time, and he’s always been energetic. There is always a lot of energy, but the players seem to be pushing him where that is concerned, and so I like that atmosphere in the team, I like the liveliness in the team," he added.
Papa New Guinea will contest Group C alongside West Indies, Afghanistan, New Zealand, and Uganada. They will open against the Caribbean side on June 2, at the National Cricket Stadium in Guyana.
Bravo joins Afghanistan as bowling consultant for T20 World Cup
The Afghanistan Cricket Board has appointed former West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo as their bowling consultant for the 2024 T20 World Cup, to be held in the Caribbean and the USA from June 1-29.
Afghanistan have already arrived in St Kitts and Nevis and are expected to begin a ten-day preparatory camp, during which Bravo will join the team.
Bravo, part of the two-time T20 World Cup-winning West Indies side, retired from international cricket after the 2021 T20 World Cup but continues to play in T20 leagues around the world.
Earlier this year, he featured for eventual champions MI Emirates in the IL T20. He is currently the leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket with 625 wickets in 573 games.
Bravo is also the bowling coach of five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings, a position he took over after retiring from the IPL in December 2022.
Afghanistan play their first warm-up game against Oman on May 29 followed by the second one on May 31 against Scotland.
At the World Cup, Afghanistan are placed in Group C alongside West Indies, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Uganda. They start their campaign against Uganda on June 5 in Providence.
Women's CPL games to feature alongside Windies, SA T20I series in August
For the first time, a women's franchise game will be played alongside a men's international, as Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced the fixtures of this year's Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) to be held in Trinidad and Tobago, in August.
Three WCPL matches will be a part of double-headers along with West Indies men's T20 international series against South Africa.
Johnny Grave, CEO of Cricket West Indies, described the move as an exciting new concept for the second edition of the WCPL, which is scheduled for August 21 to 29.
"Women's cricket continues to be a strategic priority for Cricket West Indies, and this is another exciting new concept for WCPL 2024," Grave said.
"We are certain that there will be huge interest from people in Trinidad in these double headers, as fans will be able to watch world class international Men's cricket, followed by the best female cricketers in the region competing alongside some of the best overseas players in the world,” he added.
All the WCPL games will take place at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, with the double-headers scheduled for August 23, 25 and 27.
Pete Russell, CEO of the Caribbean Premier League, also expressed excitement at the move.
"We are very excited to be able to work with Cricket West Indies to have the WCPL take place at the same time as these Men's T20 Internationals. It is another example of how the two organisations are working in harmony to provide the best outcome for fans, players and cricket in the region. We look forward to another successful WCPL as the tournament continues to grow year on year,” Russell reasoned.
The Hayley Matthews-led Barbados Royals clinched the previous edition of the WCPL, where a total of seven matches were held, including the final, among three teams.
South Africa are scheduled to tour the Caribbean for two Tests in Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana from August 7. This will be followed by the three-match T20I series at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy from August 23 ahead of the CPL.
The two teams will also play a four-day warm-up game ahead of the Test series in Tarouba.
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