Cape Town - Rassie van der Dussen is the most notable absentee from the Proteas T20 World Cup squad for Australia after the middle-order batter was ruled out through injury.
Van der Dussen broke his finger during the second Test against England at Old Trafford a fortnight ago, and although he showed great courage to come out and bat in the second innings, he will now require surgery which will now keep him on the sidelines for a further six weeks.
Although the Proteas are well-stocked in the batting department with captain Temba Bavuma returning to the 15-man squad after missing the last two series against England and Ireland due to an injured elbow, Van der Dussen was a major player at last year’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
There's the World Cup squad. No VD Dussen. Broken finger.
Go get angry in the comments. pic.twitter.com/5S8Ti4V8af
The 33-year-old was the Proteas’ leading run-scorer with 177 runs at an average of 59.0 and strike-rate of 116.44.
Exciting Warriors starlet Tristan Stubbs, who has just completed a successful stint with the Manchester Originals in England’s Hundred competition, has though been included in the 15-man squad.
Stubbs showed his power-hitting abilities during the recent series against England.
The Proteas are one of the in-form T20 teams in the world having defeated England (2-1) and Ireland (2-0), while also drawing 2-2 with India. All these series have played away from home.
The T20 World Cup kickoff on October 16 and will run until November 19.
PROTEAS T20 WORLD CUP SQUAD
Temba Bavuma (capt)‚ Quinton de Kock‚ Reeza Hendricks‚ Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram‚ David Miller‚ Lungi Ngidi‚ Anrich Nortjé‚ Wayne Parnell‚ Dwaine Pretorius‚ Kagiso Rabada‚ Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi‚ Tristan Stubbs.
Reserves: Bjorn Fortuin, Andile Phehlukwayo, Marco Jansen.
@ZaahierAdams