In an unusual turn of events, South Africa‘s fielding coach, Wandile Gwavu, had to step onto the field during their match against New Zealand in the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series in Lahore on Monday, February 10. The Proteas had exhausted all their available substitutes while fielding and found themselves in need of another replacement.
Interestingly, they had only named two substitute players at the start of the game, according to Cricbuzz. Led by Temba Bavuma, South Africa is fielding a largely inexperienced squad, as many of their regular players are occupied with the SA20 tournament. Their 12-man squad for the match against New Zealand includes six uncapped players.
Keshav Maharaj and Heinrich Klaasen, key players in South Africa’s white-ball setup, are set to join the squad before their crucial next match against Pakistan in the ongoing tri-series on Wednesday, February 12.
South Africa faces difficulties defending a total of 304 against New Zealand in the second ODI
South Africa is struggling to defend their total of 304 against New Zealand in the ongoing second ODI at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. After opting to bat first, the Proteas posted a competitive 304-6 in their 50 overs, driven by a brilliant 150 from the in-form Matthew Breetzke.
In response, New Zealand reached 264-4 in 41 overs at the time of writing, needing just 41 more runs to secure a comfortable victory. Captain Kane Williamson remained unbeaten on a superb 112, while opener Devon Conway fell just short of a century with a well-made 97.
Despite fielding a second-string squad in this series, South Africa has announced a full-strength team for the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. The tournament, set to take place in Pakistan and the UAE from February 19, will see the Proteas begin their campaign against Afghanistan on February 21 in Karachi.
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