Sangha rushed in for debut as Australia bat first

Emerging leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha has been handed an international debut in Australia's first T20 international against South Africa after Adam Zampa was a late withdrawal due to illness.

Sangha is one of four debutants for Australia, joining Matt Short, Aaron Hardie and Spencer Johnson, as Proteas skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and asked the visitors to bat first in Durban.

The 21-year-old spinner will be playing just his fourth competitive match in a year after missing the entire 2022-23 Australia summer through injury due to a stress fracture suffered in a practice game in Coffs Harbour on the eve of the season.

Sangha, who has just completed a stint with Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred, had not initially been selected in Australia's squad for the T20 leg of their South African tour and only arrived in Durban yesterday ahead of the five-match ODI series beginning next week.

He comes into the series in good form having taken five wickets in three matches for the Phoenix.

South Africa XI: Temba Bavuma, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram (c), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs (wk), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi, Lizaad Williams, Tabraiz Shamsi

 

Australia XI: Matt Short, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Hardie, Tim David, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Spencer Johnson, Tanveer Sangha

A Cricket Australia spokesperson said Zampa was Covid negative and expected to be available for the second match of the series at the same venue on Friday (Saturday morning Australian time).

South Africa named two debutants of their own with batting prodigy Dewald Brevis – nicknamed 'Baby AB' for the resemblance of his stroke-play to that of AB de Villiers – and speedster Gerald Coetzee selected in the nation's T20 side for the first time.

Coetzee, who can hit speeds up to 150kph, made both his Test and one-day international debuts earlier this year, while it will be Brevis' first appearance in South African colours after making a name for himself on the T20 circuit when he was bought for more than A$500,000 by Mumbai Indians on the 2022 Indian Premier League auction.

Australia's quartet of debutants have all impressed in the KFC BBL in recent years with Short the reigning player of the tournament after back-to-back seasons of 400-plus runs at the top of the order for the Adelaide Strikers.

Johnson lit up the competition for finalists the Brisbane Heat last season, outmanoeuvring new Aussie teammates Marcus Stoinis and Tim David on separate occasions in final-over thrillers to earn a reputation as one of the competition's best death bowlers.

Hardie, one of four star pace bowling allrounders from Western Australia vying for national selection, excelled in Mitch Marsh's absence for the Perth Scorchers, topping the BBL|12 runs tally with 460 striking at 141 after being elevated to No.3.

And although absent from the BBL last summer, Sangha has impressed for the Sydney Thunder since making his debut as a 19-year-old in December 2020, earning a maiden call up to the Aussie T20 squad for their tour of New Zealand in 2021.

"It's kind of the start of this T20 team's journey to (the World Cup) next year, every team in world cricket is the same," new Australia T20 captain Mitch Marsh said at the toss.

"It's an exciting time, there's so much cricket coming up and hopefully we can start tonight with a win."

2023 Qantas T20s v South Africa

August 30: First T20I, Durban (August 31, 2am AEST)

September 1: Second T20I, Durban (September 2, 2am AEST)

September 3: Third T20I, Durban, September 3, 10pm AEST

Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa

South Africa T20 squad: Aiden Markram (c), Temba Bavuma, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams, Rassie van der Dussen

2023 Qantas ODIs v South Africa

September 7: First ODI, Bloemfontein (D/N), 9pm AEST

September 9: Second ODI, Bloemfontein (D/N), 9pm AEST

September 12: Third ODI, Potchefstroom (D/N), 9pm AEST

September 15: Fourth ODI, Centurion (D/N), 9pm AEST

September 17: Fifth ODI, Johannesburg, 6pm AEST

Australia ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Tanveer Sangha, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

South Africa ODI squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Dewald Brevis, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Brjor Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen