Uncapped Neil Brand Named South Africa Captain for New Zealand Test Tour

South Africa has announced its 14-player Test squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand in January. Uncapped Neil Brand will lead the team in the two-match ICC World Test Championship series. This inexperienced squad includes seven uncapped players, with only three players from the squad currently playing in the series against India who will lock horns against New Zealand. The changes in the squad are due to a clash with the SA-20, the T20 franchise tournament conducted by South Africa in January, where most of the contracted Test players will be joining.

Captain Neil -

Neil Brand, a 27-year-old opening batter, has been selected as the captain for the tour, despite being uncapped at the international level. The squad also features several other uncapped players, making it a relatively inexperienced and makeshift team for the series against New Zealand.

Coach's Reply -

“Firstly, I would like to congratulate the players that will be going on a Proteas tour for the first time,” Test head coach Shukri Conrad said.

“Representing your country is a real honour, so they should savor the moment".

“The players picked for this tour have every chance of challenging New Zealand, and we have full confidence they will do exactly that when we arrive for the first Test match at Mount Maunganui".

“Most of these guys participated in the recent ‘A’ series against West Indies where they showed that they have what it takes against players of international caliber. That experience will no doubt leave them in a better position for what we expect to be a testing series in New Zealand.”

The team includes six players who have not yet played in a Test, while Duanne Olivier is the most experienced player with 15 caps. The upcoming tour poses a huge challenge for the team, as they will be defending their history and competing for WTC points. The captain, Dean Elgar, will make his Test debut and be the first player since Lee Germon in 1995 to lead an international men's team on their Test debut, provided it is not also the team's first-ever Test. In the past, New Zealand has not been able to win a men's Test series against South Africa.