Fifth T20 10th May 2022 Harare Sports ClubIn a press release, the cricket board of South Africa (CSA) announced that wicket-keeper batter Heinrich Klaasen will captain South Africa's 'A' side for their tour against Zimbabwe starting 25th April.
As a part of the High-performance initiative South Africa' A' will be touring Zimbabwe for 3 ODI and 5 T20i series. The series is set to begin on 25th April and conclude on 10th May.
Klaasen had a rollercoaster of a ride in a Proteas shirt. He made his debut for the team in 2018, and since then, he got the opportunity to captain the team in T20I twice. Both the occasions were against Pakistan in 2021.
Jump to 2022, and Heinrich Klaasen was dropped from the annual 16-man contract list by the CSA. This seems to be an excellent opportunity for the 30-year-old to prove his mettle.
Klaasen will be leading the squad for both the T20i's and the one-day internationals.
The squad for the series includes local talents such as Khaya Zondo, Theunis de Bruyn, Prenelan Subrayen, and Tony de Zorzi and also senior team members such as Andile Phehlukwayo, Reeza Hendricks, Bjorn Fortuin, and Lutho Sipamla.
The squad seems to be a perfect balance between young raw talents and senior experienced players. The reason behind the strategy was well explained by the CSA Convenor of Selectors Victor Mpitsang.
He said ""It's going to be an exciting few weeks in Harare, the National Selection Panel and I selected our best up and coming players and balanced them with the experience of some of our Proteas to show just how seriously we take this tour.
"The CSA High-Performance program is an important part of the organization's pipeline and game time is vital for this program to succeed"
"We are looking forward to watching these matches and seeing what this team of talented players under the leadership of Heinrich Klaasen will bring to the table.
On behalf of the Selectors, I would like to wish Heinrich (Klaasen) and coach, Malibongwe Maketa, all the best for the tour."
The series will be played at a single venue that is the Harare sports club and here is the itinerary along with the squad.
South Africa' A' One-Day Squad
Heinrich Klaasen (C), Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Theunis de Bruyn, Khaya Zondo, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lutho Sipamla, Bjorn Fortuin, Daryn Dupavillon, Lizaad Williams, Prenelan Subrayen, Jason Smith, Lesiba Ngoepe , Gerald Coetzee.
South Africa 'A' T20 Squad
Heinrich Klaasen (C), Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Khaya Zondo, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lutho Sipamla, Bjorn Fortuin, Daryn Dupavillon, Lizaad Williams, Prenelan Subrayen, Jason Smith, Lesiba Ngoepe , Gerald CoetzeeTristan Stubbs , Wihan Lubbe .
Zimbabwe vs South Africa' A' Schedule
First One-Day 25th April 2022 Harare Sports Club
Second One-Day 27th April 2022 Harare Sports Club
Third One-Day 29th April 2022 Harare Sports Club
First T20 2nd May 2022 Harare Sports Club
Second T20 4th May 2022 Harare Sports Club
Third T20 6th May 2022 Harare Sports Club
Fourth T20 9th May 2022 Harare Sports Club