South Africa calls up 4 uncapped players for ODI series against New Zealand, rests Kallis

By Gerald Imray

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africa rested veteran allrounder Jacques Kallis and called up four uncapped players on Sunday for the one-day series against New Zealand at the end of the month.

The Proteas also brought allrounder Ryan McLaren into their test squad as cover for fast bowler Vernon Philander, who again tweaked a troublesome hamstring in the series-opener and is doubtful for the second test against the Black Caps in Port Elizabeth.

The 37-year-old Kallis spoke during the first test of his desire to manage his ODI appearances in order to make the 2015 World Cup. Selectors responded by giving him the three-game ODI series off. Kallis also missed the two Twenty20 games at the beginning of New Zealand’s tour and Cricket South Africa selectors decided to rest him again to help manage his workload.

Without Kallis, wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, spinner Aaron Phangiso, batsman Farhaan Behardien and seam bowler Rory Kleinveldt were included in a 14-man squad for the three-game limited overs series, which begins in Paarl on Jan. 19. All four have played Twenty20 cricket for South Africa, while Kleinveldt made his test debut in Australia late last year.

South Africa has three ODIs against New Zealand and five against Pakistan before the Champions Trophy — the main ODI tournament this year — in England in June.

“The Champions Trophy also marks the halfway point to the next ICC World Cup, so this is a critical part of our preparation to win these two major ICC events,” head selector Andrew Hudson said. “The four newcomers have all been doing well, either in domestic cricket or by representing the Proteas in other formats.”

JP Duminy is unavailable after rupturing his left Achilles tendon in the test series in Australia, but Hudson said the middle order batsman “should” be fit for the Champions Trophy. Left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe returned to the squad after missing the T20s due to injury.

Before turning to the 50-over games, South Africa and New Zealand meet first at St. George’s Park in Port Elizabeth in the second of two tests starting Friday.

Philander was the man of the match in South Africa’s dominant first-test win after taking 5-7 in New Zealand’s first innings. But he had a recurrence of his hamstring problems during the last day of the Cape Town match after having had to pass a fitness test to play. McLaren would only provide cover in the test squad, CSA said, and Kleinveldt would play if Philander wasn’t fit.

New Zealand, meanwhile, chose to return to practice almost immediately in an effort to shrug off its dispiriting innings and 27-run defeat inside three days at Newlands.

Coach Mike Hesson said his team had paid for its “horror session” when it was bowled out for 45 on the first morning but had shown some fight against the South Africans — the top-ranked test team and series winners in England and Australia last year.

“If we didn’t know before we were in for an extremely tough battle, we certainly did so quickly,” Hesson said. “I think we all knew that coming into it, but the reality hit home after the first day. We know that we’ve got to be extremely strong mentally and I thought we showed that for the latter part of the game.”

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South Africa ODI squad vs. New Zealand: AB de Villiers (captain), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, Morne Morkel, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

16:27ET 06-01-13