Tahir to get match practice

Cape Town - Imran Tahir will get valuable match practice ahead of the Proteas’ Test series in England when he turns out for South Africa "A" in their two-match ‘Test’ series against Sri Lanka "A".

South Africa A coach Vincent Barnes on Tuesday announced a squad of 15 for the two matches under the captaincy of Faf du Plessis.

There will be a lot of interest in the form of both Tahir as well as debutant off spinner Simon Harmer who was the leading wicket taker in the recent SuperSport Series.

There are a number of players who have already turned out for the Proteas such as Du Plessis, wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile, Farhaan Behardien, Tahir, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Ryan McLaren and Rory Kleinveldt.

The series also offers opportunities for a number of young batsmen. These include Dean Elgar, Reeza Hendricks, Rilee Rossouw and Temba Bavuma.

South Africa A squad: Faf du Plessis (Titans, captain), Temba Bavuma (Highveld Lions), Farhaan Behardien (Titans), Dean Elgar (Knights), Simon Harmer (Warriors), Reeza Hendricks (Knights), Imran Tahir (Highveld Lions), Rory Kleinveldt (Cape Cobras), Pumelela Matshikwe (Highveld Lions), Ryan McLaren (Knights), Justin Ontong (Cape Cobras), Wayne Parnell (Warriors), Rilee Rossouw (Knights), Thami Tsolekile (Highveld Lions), Stiaan van Zyl (Cape Cobras).

Fixtures:

South Africa A v Sri Lanka A (four-day series):

June 30-July 3, Kingsmead
July 7-10, Kingsmead
Sri Lanka will have a warm-up match against a Dolphins XI from June 24-26

Triangular ODI series in Zimbabwe:

July 13, South Africa A v Sri Lanka A
July 14, Zimbabwe A v Sri Lanka A
July 15, Zimbabwe A v South Africa A
July 17, South Africa A v Sri Lanka A
July 18, Zimbabwe A v South Africa A
July 19, Zimbabwe A v Sri Lanka A
July 21, Final