No surprises as South Africa announces ICC Men's T20 World Cup squad

South Africa has announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024. As expected, Aiden Markram has been named as captain for the tournament which will jointly be hosted by the West Indies and the USA, starting on June 3.  Markram, who has been a consistent performer for South Africa in T20 cricket, will be leading the side for the first time in a major tournament.

The squad includes a good mix of experienced players and exciting young talents. There aren't too many surprises on the side, barring the selection of two uncapped players, Ottniel Baartman and Ryan Rickelton. Both players were in extraordinary form in the recently concluded SA20 and certainly tipped the scales in their favour.

Surprise Omissions

There were a few surprise omissions from the squad. Temba Bavuma, the previous captain, has been left out due to poor form. Faf du Plessis, the senior batsman, has also been overlooked despite calls for him to be included in the showpiece event. The snub means that Du Plessis' Proteas career is all but over. Lungi Ngidi, the experienced fast bowler, has not been picked in the main squad and will travel as a reserve alongside Nandre Burger. Rassie van der Dussen has also been omitted from the contingent.

Squad: Aiden Markram (c), 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 and Tristan Stubbs.

Travelling reserves: Nandre Burger and Lungisani Ngidi