CAPE TOWN: Quinton de Kock has been named as the new captain of the South Africa One-day International side, taking over from Faf du Plessis, who is dropped altogether for the three-match series against World Cup winners England next month.

Du Plessis led South Africa in their disastrous 2019 World Cup campaign and has hinted at international retirement from all formats following the Twenty20 global finals in Australia later this year.

“We all know the quality of the player that Quinton de Kock has grown to become,” CSA acting director of cricket Graeme Smith said in a statement on Tuesday. “Over the years we have watched him grow in confidence and become one of the top ODI wicket-keeper/batsmen in the world. He has a unique outlook and manner in which he goes about his business and is tactically very street smart.

“We are confident that the new leadership role will bring out the best in him as a cricketer and that he can take the team forward into the future and produce results that South Africans the world over can be very proud of.”

De Kock leads a 15-man squad with five uncapped players in seamers Lutho Sipamla and Sisanda Magala, spinning all-rounder Bjorn Fortuin, opening batsman Janneman Malan and wicket-keeper/batsman Kyle Verreynne.

Magala, leg-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, seamer Lungi Ngidi and hard-hitting opening batsman Jon Jon Smuts must pass fitness tests before they can join the squad.

Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada will be rested for the series, while all-rounders Chris Morris and Dwaine Pretorius have also not been able to force their way in.

“The road towards the 2023 Cricket World Cup starts now and we want players doing well in our domestic structures to see the rewards of the hard work that they have put in,” CSA Independent selector Linda Zondi added.

Zondi said du Plessis’ omission did not signal the end of his ODI career.

“We decided to rest Faf and Kagiso Rabada for this series because they have both played a lot of cricket,” said Zondi. “A different squad will be picked for a T20 series against England after the one-day games and after that there are still T20s and ODIs against Australia.”

Zondi said the appointment of de Kock was part of succession planning leading up to the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

In his press conference after the third Test against England on Monday, du Plessis said there was an opportunity to relieve some of the pressure on his captaincy.

De Kock, 27, has previously captained South Africa in two One-day Internationals and two T20 Internationals.

The first ODI will be staged in Cape Town on Feb 4, with the second in Durban three days later and the final match of the series to be held in Johannesburg on Feb 9.

Smuts, Magala, Ngidi and Shamsi have been called up to a conditioning camp in Centurion and will have to prove their fitness ahead of the series.

Squad: Quinton de Kock (captain), Reeza Hendricks, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Jon Jon Smuts, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Sisanda Magala, Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Janneman Malan, Kyle Verreynne.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2020