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Dane Paterson, Ottneil Baartman, Tony de Zorzi and Nqobani Mokoena headline the South Africa A squad, which will face the England Lions for two four-day matches in England starting May 22, according to the Cricket South Africa Website.
While De Zorzi, Baartman and Mokoena have also been named in the three-match one-day series between both teams, Paterson misses out in the squad for the shorter format. Marques Ackermann will captain both sides. The first four-day match will take place from May 22 to 25, followed by the second, which will run from May 29 to June 1. The one-day series is set to start with the first match on June 5, the second on June 7 and the third on June 9. Notably, 37-year-old Paterson has not appeared in a Test since playing in the Boxing Day match of 2024, which secured South Africa's place in the World Test Championship final. However, with an upcoming home season featuring eight Tests and his name in the SA A's squad, Paterson has returned to contention. SA A head coach Wandile Gwavu said the squad largely retains a core group of consistent performers from domestic cricket and the SA A setup. He views the England tour as a valuable opportunity to test themselves in challenging conditions, highlighting Dane Paterson's experience there and expressing interest in seeing him pair with Ottneil Baartman as the team builds toward a busy home summer and potential Proteas opportunities. "We've continued to back a core group of players who have shown consistency within the SA 'A' setup and for their domestic teams. This tour is a great chance for that group to test themselves in English conditions, and we know that someone like Dane brings a wealth of experience in those conditions. I'm looking forward to seeing him alongside Ottneil as we build towards a busy home summer and the opportunities it presents at Proteas level," Gwavu said as quoted by the Cricket South Africa website. Ottneil Baartman, 33, has also been handed a chance to stake his claim for a Test spot. Both Baartman and 19-year-old pacer Nqobani Mokoena are also included in the South Africa A one-day squad for three matches following the red-ball fixtures. In the batting lineup, Tony de Zorzi--now recovered from the injury that kept him out of the T20 World Cup--has been named in both squads. Other notable names include pacer Gerald Coetzee, batter Connor Esterhuizen, pacer Kwena Maphaka and wicketkeeper Batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius. South Africa A Four-Day Squad: Marques Ackerman, Ottneil Baartman, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Zubayr Hamza, Jordan Hermann, Rubin Hermann, Nqobani Mokoena, Dane Paterson, Sinethemba Qeshile, Lesego Senokwane, Jason Smith, Prenelan Subrayen, Tiaan van Vuuren, Codi Yusuf South Africa A One-Day squad: Marques Ackerman, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Connor Esterhuizen, Dian Forrester, Bjorn Fortuin, Rubin Hermann, Kwena Maphaka, Nqobani Mokoena, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Sinethemba Qeshile, Jason Smith, Prenelan Subrayen. (ANI)
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