Cape Town - Proteas wicketkeeper / batsman, Quinton de Kock, has been rested as a precaution for the two-match T20 International series against England.
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De Kock sustained an injury to his right knee before the third Test match against England at the Wanderers and has been granted a period of rest given the busy playing schedule ahead.
Proteas team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee explained: “Quinton has been playing a lot of cricket since the injury to his knee before the third Test match against England. Even though he was given the all clear by the medical team at the time, we feel it is best to give the knee some rest as he is still slightly symptomatic. We need to keep in mind the upcoming ICC World Twenty20 as well as the short turnaround of matches leading up to the tournament. He will be available for selection for the series against Australia starting in Durban on March 4.”
Faf du Plessis has won the toss and elected to bowl in the first T20 International against England at Newlands on Friday.
AB de Villiers retains the gloves in De Kock’s absence and Rilee Rossouw makes a return to the line-up after missing the series against India due to injury.
Teams:
South Africa
Faf du Plessis (captain), AB de Villiers (wk), Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, David Wiese, Chris Morris, Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir
England
Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Reece Topley