South Africa have recalled pacer Duanne Olivier to their Test squad for the forthcoming three-match series against India, starting December 26 in Centurion.
Back in 2019, Olivier had put his South African career to a halt back in 2019 to pursue a Kolpak deal with Yorkshire, made a return to domestic cricket earlier this summer after Brexit.
The right-arm pacer has been dominating the bowling charts in first-class cricket for the summer, taking 28 wickets from his four games for Lions at a jaw-dropping average of 11.14, including two five-wicket hauls. Before going ahead with his Kolpak deal, Olivier had picked up 48 wickets in his 10 Tests for South Africa while averaging only 19.25. Thus, his return is great news for the Proteas, who are looking to regain the Gandhi-Mandela Trophy.
The 29-year-old pacer had confirmed that he has had a word with CSA and the selection panel about his availability for national selections. He also stated that his immediate focus is on doing as well as he can for the Lions in the four-day series.
“I am open to everything but I am trying to think of the present and not the future at the moment. Victor Mpitsang (convener of selectors) phoned me and asked me if I was open to playing for South Africa again and I said of course I am. It’s up to the selectors if they want to include me,”
Olivier had told ESPNcricinfo.
Olivier’s return is one of the multiple exciting features of South Africa’s elongated 21-man squad named for the home series versus India. The selection panel has named two fresh faces in the Test squad, including pacer Sisanda Magala and batter Ryan Rickelton. Both Sisanda and Rickelton were part of the squad picked for the ODI series against the Netherlands, which was later postponed because of the complications around the new Covid-19 variant Omicron.
This variant had threatened to jeopardise the India visit as well before the tour was cleared by the two countries’ cricket boards following security advisories from their respective governments. However, the Omicron has still had an effect on India’s visit, with the series getting rescheduled and T20Is that were originally part of the trip being postponed.
India’s tour now includes three Tests and three ODIs. Apart from the Boxing Day fixture in Centurion, the Tests will be played in Johannesburg (January 3-7) and Cape Town (Jan 11-15). The ODIs will be played in Paarl and Cape Town, with the Boland Park hosting the first two games on January 19 & 21 before the Newlands one-dayer on January 23 brings curtains to the trip.
CSA has confirmed that India will return to South Africa at an “opportune time” to play the four T20Is, likely near the T20 World Cup next year in Australia.
Coming back to the Proteas squad, the selectors have handed a recall to off-spinning allrounder Prenelan Subrayen and pacer Glenton Stuurman. The rest of the Test squad resembles the one that South Africa picked under new Test captain Dean Elgar for their series in the West Indies in June. Temba Bavuma, who couldn’t make the Caribbean trip because of an injury, is his deputy.
In a strong indication of the expected nature of surfaces throughout the series, South Africa have packed their squad with pace options. Apart from Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and now Olivier, the squad also features Marco Jansen and Beuran Hendrick apart from Stuurman and Magala.
The Test series against India is an important part of South Africa’s campaign in the new cycle of the World Test Championship.
