CAPE TOWN: South Africa will be without limited-overs stalwarts Hashim Amla and J.P. Duminy for their white-ball tour of Australia next month but welcome back all-rounder Chris Morris from injury.

Amla and Duminy have been sidelined along with 20-year-old all-rounder Wiaan Mulder as South Africa juggle a number of injury concerns.

Morris had been a regular in the limited-overs side before missing series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in 2018, and is likely to play a key role Down Under.

Also returning to the squad are all-rounders Farhaan Behardien and Dwaine Pretorius, while veteran seamer Dale Steyn has been included after he made a successful return to international action in the recent series against Zimbabwe.

“Chris confirmed his fitness with his excellent form for the Titans in the first two rounds of the 4-Day Domestic Series,” Cricket South Africa (CSA) National Selection Panel (NSP) convener Linda Zondi said in a statement on Wednesday.

“He is the leading wicket-taker in this competition to date and also adds value as a batting option in the lower-order.

“With Wiaan Mulder ruled out at the moment through injury we need to look at our resources as far as batting all-rounder options are concerned and Dwaine, in particular, fits into this category.

“We have also lost a lot of experience in our specialist batting order through the injuries to Hashim Amla and J.P. Duminy, and Farhaan gives us another experienced option in the top order.”

Steyn, 35, was named in the 15-man squad which includes young stars Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi.

Steyn made a successful return to ODI cricket in the recent series against Zimbabwe after a two-year absence, largely caused by injuries.

“We feel that we got quite a lot out of the Zimbabwe series, notably the form of [leg-spinner] Imran Tahir and the return of Dale Steyn to his very best,” said Zondi.

South Africa will play three One-day Internationals with the first fixture in Perth on Nov 4 and a Twenty20 International on the Gold Coast on Nov 17 during a tour which starts with a match against a Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra on Oct 31.

Squad: Faf du Plessis (captain), Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2018