South Africa will start their international season in the field as they put Namibia in to bat in the first of a seven-match tri-series in Windhoek. South Africa have only played against Namibia once before, in the inaugural match at the Namibia Cricket Ground last October, and lost off the final ball.
Stand-in captain and left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin is back to try and put that record straight. He will have at his disposal three seamers including debutant Duan Jansen, experienced campaigner Lutho Sipamla and young speedster Nqobani Mokoena, and an offspinner in Prenelan Subrayen. There is no room for Kwena Maphaka, Eathan Bosch or legspinner Nqaba Peter in this XI.
In the batting line-up, South Africa welcomed back Tony de Zorzi at No.3 after he was ruled out of the T20 World Cup with a hamstring injury. De Zorzi has played seven T20Is for South Africa and will be hoping to use this series to push for a place in the first-choice side. Dewald Brevis is carded at No.5 and both Hermann brothers are in the XI.
Namibia have opted for experience over youth in the batting, with Jan Frylinck and Louren Steenkamp to open and Junior Taanyanda on the bench. They have included 21-year old Alexander Busing-Volschenk and their senior core of bowlers. Ruben Trumpelmann and Bernard Scholtz, their leading wicket-takers in the format, will play alongside young quicks Jack Brassell and Max Heingo in a formidable pace pack.
Namibia: 1 Jan Frylinck, 2 Louren Steenkamp, 3 Gerhard Erasmus (capt), 4 Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, 5 Zane Green (wk), 6 Alex Busing-Volschenk, 7 JJ Smit, 8 Ruben Trumpelmann, 9 Bernard Scholtz, 10 Jack Brassell, 11 Max Heingo
South Africa: 1 Lhuan-dre Pretorius, 2 Jordan Hermann, 3 Tony de Zorzi, 4 Connor Esterhuizen (wk), 5 Dewald Brevis, 6 Rubin Hermann, 7 Duan Jansen, 8 Bjorn Fortuin (capt), 9 Nqobani Mokoena, 10 Prenelan Subrayen, 11 Lutho Sipamla
