Johannesburg: South Africa have included young pacer Kwena Maphaka and top-order batter Jason Smith in their squad for the T20 World Cup, with no place for batsmen Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs.
Smith’s selection comes on the back of his recent prolific form, earning him the nod ahead of Stubbs, who was in South Africa’s squad where they finished runners-up in 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup.
Smith made his T20I debut in 2024 and boasts of a strike-rate of 128.30 and is currently turning out for MI Cape Town in SA20. One of his most recent standout performances came in the T20 Challenge, where he struck an unbeaten 68 off 19 balls to steer the Dolphins into the playoffs in November.
Rickelton, meanwhile, was unable to force his way into a squad already packed with top-order options like captain Aiden Markram and wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock. Apart from Smith and Maphaka, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira and George Linde have earned their maiden T20 World Cup call-ups.
Kagiso Rabada returns to the T20I setup after missing the recent white-ball tour against India due to a rib injury. Another notable inclusion is pacer Anrich Nortje, who finished as South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup.
South Africa are drawn in Group D of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup alongside Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. They will begin their campaign on February 9 against Canada at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. IANS
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