“It’s nice to be able to give him an opportunity. He is one of our up-and-coming youngsters. We want to just broaden our base a little bit and this Australia series is an opportunity to give him a run,” Walter said. “I won’t be calling him Baby AB. We will leave AB to be AB. He (Brevis) is a fairly grounded young guy. It’s just about creating an environment to express himself in.”
Maharaj suffered the injury in a Test match against West Indies in March and was expected to be out for the rest of the year but has progressed steadily enough to be included. “He has done exceptionally well to this point. He is ahead of where we thought he would be, so things look positive,” Walter said. “It’s difficult to guesstimate the last portion of his recovery and when he will be match ready but I am quietly hopeful he will be ready for those T20s.”
Maharaj has been named in the squad for the 2nd and 3rd T20Is, albeit dependent on match fitness. Management are hopeful he will then play in the ODIs ahead of the World Cup. South Africa will name an initial World Cup squad on September 5, before the ODI series, but changes can be made to that group until September 27. It is likely that Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin are competing for two spots in the final XV.
Those are the only big debates that South Africa will be having ahead of the World Cup with the bulk of the ODI squad made up of familiar faces. Of those, Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada, who played at the MLC and in Klaasen’s case also The Hundred, will be rested from the T20Is to ensure they are at their best for the ODIs and the World Cup. “Ninety-five percent of our squad is tried and tested,” Walter said. “And then there is potentially an opportunity for a younger flair.”
“We’re going to give guys opportunities and we might spread the load a little bit,” Walter confirmed. “Donovan was involved in a lot of league cricket. One of the areas in our batting we want to pay attention to is the ability to finish and clear the rope so that’s why he is in. Matthew is top-order cover. All the coaches on my support staff as well as Shukri (Conrad, the red-ball coach) speak very highly of him.”
South Africa have not played any cricket since their World Cup Super League series against Netherlands, which ended on April 2. The ODI squad will assemble next Monday for a three-day cohesion camp in the Kruger National Park, with training for both outfits to start on August 24, and the first match against Australia scheduled for August 30.
“Our guys are playing in five or six different environments throughout the year so the camp is about creating a platform for our players to connect with each other. When pressure moments arrive, it’s our connection with each other that is going to hold us up,” Walter said, while acknowledging the scant game time is not ideal ahead of the World Cup. “You are never going to replicate world cup pressure in the nets but we are trying your best to get there. We speak of trying to create the right environment that has got a bit of an edge to it. Still, it’s always a tough one.”
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