South Africa T20 Squad for West Indies announced; Under 19 Star finds a spot

South Africa have picked the Under-19 World Cup 2024 star Kwena Maphaka in their squad for the upcoming T20I series against West Indies. The Proteas were the runners-up of the T20 World Cup 2024, held in the West Indies and the USA.

The 15-member squad will be led by Aiden Markram. Several big names like Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, Kagiso Rabada, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Keshav Maharaj are missing from the squad, which makes the squad an inexperienced one.

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South Africa pick Kwena Maphaka in the squad for the T20I series against the West Indies

South Africa's white-ball head coach Rob Walter announced the squad for the three-match T20I series. Kwena Maphaka and Jason Smith have earned their maiden international call-ups.

Kwena Maphaka was South Africa's star in the Under-19 World Cup, where he impressed with 21 wickets in just six matches at an incredible average of 9.71 and an economy rate of 3.81. The left-arm seamer picked up three five-wicket hauls in the competition, the most by any bowler.

Maphaka can bowl at a high pace and can also swing the new ball. Surprisingly, he hasn't played much domestic cricket in his short career. The 18-year-old has played two first-class matches, two List A matches, and 11 T20s so far.

Looking at his immense talent, Mumbai Indians signed him for IPL 2024 season where he played two matches for the franchise, picking up a solitary wicket at an average of 89 and an economy rate of 14.83.

Jason Smith smashed 291 runs at an average of 41.57 at a strike rate of 134.10 in the CSA T20 Challenge. The middle-order batter showed excellent consistency throughout the tournament. Smith is also a decent medium-pace bowler which will give South Africa an extra option in the bowling department.

Rob Walter gives the reason for picking the inexperienced squad

While announcing the squad, Rob Walter revealed the reason for selecting an inexperienced squad for the series. He further added that it gives a good opportunity for South Africa to test their young talented players.

“Several players were not considered for this series due to either injury, being in a conditioning block that is related to workload management, or their participation in ongoing T20 leagues."

“This tour allows us to continue developing our player pool whilst maintaining the core of experienced players. It will also expose our emerging talent to quality international opposition, similar to the last time we played against the West Indies in May," Walter said.

Walter also hailed the two new players in the squad Kwena Maphaka and Jason Smith for their talents and recent domestic performances. The South African coach wants to give them further exposure through this series.

“We’re excited to have Jason [Smith] and Kwena [Maphaka] join the squad for this series. Jason’s recent performances have been impressive, and his ability to contribute with both bat and ball adds valuable depth to our line-up.

“Kwena has been identified as a player with significant potential, and this tour presents a great opportunity to include him in the Proteas environment and gain valuable international experience,” Walter added.

The first T20I of the series between West Indies and South Africa will be played on August 24. The second and third T20I will be played on August 26 and 28.

South Africa squad for West Indies T20Is

Aiden Markram (C), Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.