Cape Town - Faf du Plessis will make a dramatic return to the Proteas starting line-up - as captain - after AB de Villiers was ruled out of the upcoming New Zealand Test series due to injury.
South African Test skipper De Villiers has sustained an elbow injury during the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 competition in the West Indies, and will need to be sidelined for between six and eight weeks for rehabilitation.
“I’m naturally disappointed to miss the Test series against New Zealand, particularly because I have not missed a Test match through injury since my debut in 2004,” De Villiers said in a Cricket South Africa statement on Tuesday.
“However, with an exciting summer of cricket ahead, it is obviously sensible to give my elbow time to heal properly. The Proteas finished last season on a positive note with a win against England in the last Test match, and I am confident that, with Faf at the helm, the team will build on this success.”
In another injury blow for coach Russell Domingo, tall fast bowler Morné Morkel will also miss the New Zealand series - which starts at Kingsmead in Durban on August 19 - with a back problem that will keep him out for four to six weeks.
The second Test will take place in Centurion from August 27.
Proteas team doctor Mohammed Moosajee said that De Villiers’ MRI scans showed “an impingement of the joint capsule” in the left elbow after he felt pain, while Morkel has a bulging disk in his back, but both players hope to be fit for the ODI series against Australia in October.
On the plus side, though, Domingo will be able to call on his premier pacemen Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander after they missed a number of games last season with injuries.
Steyn broke down with a shoulder problem during the Boxing Day Test against England in Durban, while Philander picked up an ankle injury during the India tour last November.
Both players have been getting in overs in either T20 or first-class cricket around the world over the last few months, and they are now ready to be unleashed and take some of the load off SA Cricketer of the Year Kagiso Rabada in the pace division.
The other quick bowlers are Chris Morris, Kyle Abbott and the recalled Wayne Parnell, with only a single specialist spinner in Dane Piedt - which means there is no place for the in-form left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, as the South African management may feel that the wickets in Durban and Centurion are unlikely to take much turn in winter.
“It is most unfortunate that we will not be able to call on two players of the quality and experience of De Villiers and Morkel,” Proteas selection convenor Linda Zondi said in a statement on Tuesday. “However, we are fortunate to have a capable stand-in leader in Faf du Plessis and other exciting options to select from.
“Injuries are a reality that we have to deal with, and with both Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander fit and firing again after their respective long-term injuries, I am confident that we have the players to take on New Zealand and win.”
But Du Plessis’ rise to the Test captaincy comes as a surprise as he was dropped for the Proteas’ last five-day match against England in Centurion in January due to a poor run of form that saw him score 317 runs in 15 innings (zero not outs) at an average of 21.13 since his last Test hundred against the West Indies in Port Elizabeth in December 2014.
The Titans right-hander hasn’t played first-class cricket since the Wanderers Test against England in January, having captained the SA T20 side at the World Cup in India in March, where they crashed out in the group stages.
The 32-year-old nursed a broken finger that saw him miss the IPL, but he played in the ODI triangular against the West Indies and Australia in June, where after he remained in the Caribbean for the CPL.
But Du Plessis appointment as stand-in captain for the New Zealand series means that he will be a straight swop for De Villiers and will probably bat at No 3, with Hashim Amla shifting back down to No 4.
Dean Elgar and Stephen Cook opened against England in Centurion, with JP Duminy and Temba Bavuma making up the rest of the middle-order.
The next batsman-in-line is Stiaan van Zyl, who retained his place in the squad and scored 85 for South Africa A against Australia A in Brisbane over the weekend. The left-hander may have expected to challenge for a place in the Proteas middle-order - especially with De Villiers injured - but now his path is blocked by Du Plessis, who has benefited from Amla’s reluctance around the captaincy following his resignation as skipper at the conclusion of the Newlands Test against England.
There are no other obvious candidates to fill in for De Villiers, but now Du Plessis must repay the faith shown in him by the selectors by getting amongst the runs against New Zealand.
Proteas Test Squad
Faf du Plessis (Titans, captain), Kyle Abbott (Warriors), Hashim Amla (Cape Cobras), Temba Bavuma (Highveld Lions), Stephen Cook (Lions), Quinton de Kock (Titans), JP Duminy (Cape Cobras), Dean Elgar (Titans), Chris Morris (Titans), Wayne Parnell (Cape Cobras), Vernon Philander (Cape Cobras), Dane Piedt (Cape Cobras), Kagiso Rabada (Lions), Dale Steyn (Cape Cobras), Stiaan van Zyl (Cape Cobras).
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