Head coach Shukri Conrad has reminded batsmen Kyle Verreynne, Zubayr Hamza and others the Test “batting line-up is a work in progress” ahead of South Africa A’s series against Sri Lanka this month.
Verreynne and Hamza have played Test cricket, but were not selected for the series against the West Indies earlier this year – and have since moved into the South Africa A squad.
“To those guys the message is quite simple, the door is never closed,” Conrad, who is the Test and South Africa A coach, told IOL. “I think with an eye on the Test team, there’s a few batting spots that have not been nailed down.
“With the opportunities on this A tour, the guys can put their names out there for us to seriously consider them for the Proteas Test side. I think it’s the great opportunity for those guys to put on big performances and those will go a long way in getting them closer to that Test side.”
The South Africa A squad comprises 10 players with international experience, including batsman Keegan Petersen and seamer Gerald Coetzee. Western Province batsman Tony de Zorzi will captain South Africa A.
“We want to see how these boys transition from our domestic game to this step up, which is closer to international cricket,” added Conrad. “And then also for our young proteas guys – guys like Tony, Gerald, Keegan – and even a guy like Verreynne, who has had some international cricket.
“It’s just for them to build on that and so that when India comes around at the end of the year we don’t come in too cold. At least we would have had some form of cricket that is a step up from our first-class cricket back at home.”