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Cape Town - Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter says he selected Ronwen Williams for the 1-0 defeat to Ivory Coast due to his shot-stopping and match sharpness.
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Some expected Keet to start after his heroic performance in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win over Libya which helped Bafana reach the tournament in Egypt.
However, the 29-year-old was dropped from the Wits starting line-up in final games of the season as he did not want to sign a new contract with the Absa Premiership club.
As such, Williams was made number one and produced a solid display against the Ivorians as he made several saves before being Jonathan Kodjia’s winner went past him.
Baxter told reporters: "When we played in Tunisia against Libya, we played with three centre backs and their strength was playing in lots of crosses.
"But that was not the Ivory Coast strength. This was a different game. Darren was suited for that game [against Libya] and Darren has been a little bit more inactive.
"Ronwen was more suited for this game, his shot stopping, and his quick distribution would be important. I thought Ronwen did very well."
South Africa’s next match will be against Namibia on Friday, June 28.
Kick-off is at 22:00 (SA time).
