JOHANNESBURG: South Africa named two uncapped fast bowlers in a 16-man squad for a two-match Test series against Pakistan starting in Centurion on December 26.
With an entire battery of fast bowlers unavailable, left-armer Kwena Maphaka and Corbin Bosch were added to the team that beat Sri Lanka in Gqeberha this month.
Maphaka is an 18-year-old prodigy who has already been capped at Twenty20 international level while Bosch, the 30-year-old son of former Test fast bowler Tertius, has yet to play for the senior national team.
South Africa included all-rounder Wiaan Mulder and left-arm spin bowler Keshav Maharaj in the squad, but both selections are subject to fitness.
Mulder suffered a broken right middle finger in the first Test against Sri Lanka while Maharaj suffered what Cricket South Africa described as “an acute groin strain” while warming up for the first one-day international against Pakistan in Paarl on Tuesday.
Maharaj was due to have a scan on Wednesday to assess the severity of the injury.
Bosch, who has a first-class batting average above 40, could come into contention if Muller is unfit, while Senuran Muthusamy, also a left-armer, is the only other spin bowler in the squad if Maharaj is ruled out.
South Africa will be assured of a place in next year’s World Test Championship final if they win at least one Test against Pakistan — but their bowling resources have been seriously depleted.
Fast bowlers Anrich Nortje, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee and Lizaad Williams have all been sidelined. It will be a blow if Maharaj, South Africa’s premier spin bowler, cannot play.
“We head into this series with a clear focus, with a spot in the World Test Championship final being the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” South African coach Shukri Conrad said in a CSA statement.
Squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne (wkt).
Fixtures:
December 26-30, Centurion
January 3-7, Cape Town
South Africa call up two uncapped fast bowlers for Pakistan Test series
https://arab.news/nqkdr
South Africa call up two uncapped fast bowlers for Pakistan Test series
- South Africa will be in next year’s World Test Championship final if they win one Test against Pakistan
- The Proteas are faced with serious depletion of bowling resources, with several injured players
Pakistan seeks UK action over ‘incitement to violence’ against top military commander
- Move follows a video that purportedly showed a PTI supporter in Bradford referencing violence against the army chief
- Pakistan’s deputy interior minister says the government has written to the UK, saying the content breaches British law
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said on Friday the government has written a letter to the United Kingdom to express concern over social media content circulating from British territory, which he said amounts to incitement to violence against the Pakistani state.
Speaking to a local news channel, Chaudhry said the government raised the issue after a video clip on social media purportedly showed a protester of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party criticizing Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and referring to violence against him.
“This is not a political matter, nor is it a question of freedom of expression,” the minister said while speaking to Geo TV. “This is clearly a violation of international law and of Britain’s own laws, including the British Terrorism Act 2006.”
He said the material went beyond political dissent and amounted to incitement to violence, adding that Pakistan had conveyed to British authorities that states are responsible for ensuring that individuals residing on their territory — whether citizens, asylum seekers or others — do not incite rebellion or violence against another sovereign country.
“What is very dangerous is that a very specific act — a car bombing — has been referenced,” he continued. “It has not been generalized.”
A social media post by a Britain-based journalist claimed that the video was recorded during a protest outside Pakistan’s consulate in Bradford, though neither the authenticity of the footage nor the identity of the individual could be independently verified.
Chaudhry said Pakistan’s complaint to the UK was lodged under international law, British law and United Nations principles governing relations between states, stressing that the issue was one of incitement rather than protected speech.
“This is not about freedom of expression. This is about incitement and terrorism, which is against Britain’s own laws,” he said, adding that Islamabad expects British authorities to take action.
Pakistani officials have also previously voiced concerns over social media activity by PTI supporters abroad that they say fuels unrest and hostility toward state institutions.
British authorities have not publicly responded to the letter or Chaudhry’s statement.
PTI has not reacted to either of them as well.
