Neil Brand, the former Test captain who led a second-string South African side in New Zealand earlier this year, has been appointed to lead a South Africa A team against Sri Lanka A next month. The series, which runs from August 31 to September 18, will include three one-day games and two four-day matches.
The one-day squad, captained by Test wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne, features several promising young players, including David Bedingham, who scored a Test century in New Zealand under Brand, and Tristan Luus, who played at the Under-19 World Cup. The four-day squad includes two players from the current Test tour to West Indies: Matthew Breetzke and Nandre Burger. Dewald Brevis, the breakout star from the 2022 under-19 World Cup, is in both squads.
Notably, the number of black African players in the squads exceeds the national target of two players per XI. This is a positive step towards Cricket South Africa’s goal of developing more black African batting talent ahead of the home ODI World Cup in 2027.
The selection of Mihlali Mpongwana, who is currently captaining a South African Emerging squad in Zimbabwe, in both squads is a testament to his all-round abilities. Lutho Sipamla, who has been capped 17 times across all formats internationally, is also included in both squads despite recent injury struggles.
The series will be overseen by Test coach Shukri Conrad, with white-ball coach Rob Walter involved with the national team on trips to West Indies and the UAE. All three one-day games will be played in Potchefstroom, while the four-day matches will be held in Kimberley and Benoni.
