The Proteas unveiled their provisional World Cup squad at Grey College High School in Bloemfontein on Tuesday morning.

The national side selected a fairly unsurprising 15-player squad for the showpiece event happening in India from 5 October.

The biggest revelation was perhaps the inclusion of international newcomer Gerald Coetzee, who has only represented South Africa twice thus far in One Day International cricket. 

Wayne Parnell, who is currently nursing a shoulder injury, misses out for Coetzee, according to head coach Rob Walter.

The Proteas’ Gerald Coetzee has been included in the provisional World Cup squad. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)

“Parney was definitely one of the tough decisions to make,” the white-ball national coach said at the post-announcement press conference.

“He would have formed part of that six-strong fast bowling group but we went for Gerald in this instance, purely someone who has got a little bit of extra pace in relation to Parney.

“[It’s a] tough call and tough on him to miss out. The injury is not the issue. That just sits in the background.”

Other players who have been in recent One Day International squads that have missed out on World Cup selection include Bjorn Fortuin and Tristan Stubbs.

Keshav Maharaj has made a miraculous five-month recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon injury to take his place in the 15-player World Cup side.

Dewald Brevis, Parnell and Stubbs have all been released from the ODI squad for the five-match series against Australia that starts on Thursday. 

Temba Bavuma will captain South Africa in the provisional World Cup squad. (Photo: EPA-EFE/Dan Himbrechts)

Four quicks on the park

Since Walter and red-ball coach Shukri Conrad’s appointments in March this year, the Proteas have operated without a selection panel — instead, the respective coaches decide on the final squads.

Walter has gone with eight bowlers and seven batters in his squad with Marco Jansen and Aiden Markram the closest squad members to resemble all-rounders in the 15.

“I don’t believe that in a tournament you need [another] extra batter. We’ve got a backup batter in the group,” Walter said when asked about the composition of the squad.

“If someone was knocked out through injury, then we certainly have the replacements to come in.

“In India, it’s a fairly easy thing to replace a player overnight. So I didn’t feel that we needed to carry an extra batter in the squad at the expense of a seamer.

“We really want to have four high-quality, fast bowlers on the park at most times. That’s a strategy that cricket in South Africa has done well with. 

“So it’s being able to know that in a tournament such as the one we have, where there’s times where there’s [lots of rest] in between [matches], you can manage the bowlers well.

“But then you’ve got three games in six days and there might be a need for us to rotate our bowlers then.”

Quinton de Kock has announced his retirement from ODIs. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)

De Kock departs

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper De Kock has announced that he will retire from ODI cricket following the conclusion of the World Cup.

Since making his ODI debut in 2013, the 30-year-old has gone to play 140 matches and has amassed almost 6,000 runs at an average of 44.85. One of his career highlights came up against Australia in 2016 when scored a career-best 178 at SuperSport Park, Centurion.

He was also named full-time captain of the side from 2020 – 2021.

Commenting on De Kock’s retirement from ODIs, Director of Cricket Enoch Nkwe said: “Quinton de Kock has been a really good servant to South African cricket. He set the benchmark with his attacking batting style and was a key member of the squad for a number of years. He also wore the captain’s armband and that is an honour that very few people get to hold.

“We understand his decision to step back from ODI cricket and we want to thank him for his service over the years. We wish him well for the future but still look forward to seeing him represent the Proteas in T20I cricket.” DM

South Africa Squad – ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup India 2023

Temba Bavuma (captain, Lions), Gerald Coetzee (Titans), Quinton de Kock (Titans), Reeza Hendricks (Lions), Marco Jansen (Warriors), Heinrich Klaasen (Titans), Sisanda Magala (Lions), Keshav Maharaj (Dolphins), Aiden Markram (Titans), David Miller (Dolphins), Lungi Ngidi (Titans), Anrich Nortje (Warriors), Tabraiz Shamsi (Titans), Kagiso Rabada (Lions) and Rassie van der Dussen (Lions).