Junior Dala has been called up to the South Africa cricket squad in place of Lungi Ngidi, who tested positive for Covid-19, yesterday.
The Proteas will bowl the first ball of a historic three-match ODI series against Netherlands at Centurion Park tomorrow, and will also be without Ngidi’s fellow seamer Lizaad Williams who has been ruled out because of a side strain.
With Dala coming in, another player who joined the squad after missing out on World Cup selection, Kyle Verreynne, says they will dala flat and go all-out for the win, not taking their opponents lightly.
Asked how they will get psyched up against the Dutch “minnows”, Verreynne says: “With the World Cup qualification points up for grabs, it’s easy to get yourself psyched up and understand the importance of these matches.
“We won’t be seeing them as weak opposition - we saw against Ireland, who are a so-called weaker team…
“With points up for grabs, any series is really important.”
Dala and Verreynne are two of a number of fringe players getting a run, with the likes of captain Temba Bavuma and some senior players rested.
Verreynne believes it will also be important to put in good performances to stake a claim for a place in the side heading into the 2023 World Cup.
He adds: “The main thing about this series is to get game time, if I'm fortunate enough to do so - hopefully put in performances and show what I’m about to cement my place if not in the starting XI, then a squad place.”